Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN Legal & Legislation

Outrage Of The Week 6/24/11

Friday, June 24, 2011

"Impartial" Journalist Turns Activist:  A recent article by Chad D. Baus featured on the Buckeye Firearms Association website examined the biased, unethical, and unprofessional practice of "advocacy journalism" as it relates to the gun debate.  Bias in the media -- especially when it concerns the Second Amendment and "gun control" -- is certainly not a new concept, but the article describes one of the most blatant cases we've seen to date. 

In this particular instance, Baus describes a series of articles written by journalist Theodore Decker and recently published in The Columbus Dispatch, which decry what the articles portray as rampant gun violence in Ohio.  The three-part series, entitled "Overrun by Guns," includes all of the typical one-sided arguments (with no mention at all of defensive uses of firearms) and anti-gun talking points. 

But the articles, it turns out, are not just anti-gun pontifications of a journalist who is bold enough not to care about his biased portrayal.  Instead, Baus reveals that the anti-gun series was funded by a grant from the vehemently anti-gun Joyce Foundation and that the intent of the series was to "have a major public policy impact" on gun violence in Ohio.

And it gets worse.  According to Baus, grant recipients attended a "skills workshop" where they were "indoctrinated with speeches by spokespersons from Joyce Foundation-funded anti-gun rights organizations including Legal Community Against Gun Violence and the Violence Policy Center."  Later, Baus notes, the journalists attended yet another seminar that included as panelists "the Chief of Staff to the Office of Justice Programs at the Obama administration's Department of Justice, and the President of the anti-gun rights ACLU."

What we have, then is an "activist" journalist, who is commissioned by an anti-gun organization to write a series of "advocacy" articles intended to affect public policy, under the guise of respectable, unbiased newspaper reporting.  That is outrageous.

To read the full article, please click here.

TRENDING NOW
NDAA 2026: A Win for Surplus Firearms Collectors and the Second Amendment

News  

Monday, December 15, 2025

NDAA 2026: A Win for Surplus Firearms Collectors and the Second Amendment

It is indeed that time of year. Time for the 65th annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This critical federal legislation specifies the budget and policies for the United States Department of Defense for the next fiscal year. 

SCOTUS Denies Cert in NRA-ILA Challenge to NFA Short-Barreled Rifle Restrictions

Monday, December 15, 2025

SCOTUS Denies Cert in NRA-ILA Challenge to NFA Short-Barreled Rifle Restrictions

The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in Rush v. United States, a challenge to the National Firearms Act of 1934’s restrictions on short-barreled rifles.

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Hear Case of Virginia CCW Holder Arrested While Traveling Through Maryland

Thursday, December 11, 2025

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Hear Case of Virginia CCW Holder Arrested While Traveling Through Maryland

The National Rifle Association joined the Second Amendment Foundation, California Rifle & Pistol Association, Second Amendment Law Center, Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in filing ...

Buckle Up, Friends: DOJ Opens New 2A Division, Promises “A Lot More Action” to Safeguard Rights

News  

Monday, December 15, 2025

Buckle Up, Friends: DOJ Opens New 2A Division, Promises “A Lot More Action” to Safeguard Rights

In a landmark accomplishment in furtherance of President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order on the Second Amendment, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the creation of a new section under its Civil Rights Division - ...

Minnesota: Governor Walz Issues Two Gun Control Executive Orders

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Minnesota: Governor Walz Issues Two Gun Control Executive Orders

With the holiday season upon us, former VP candidate Governor Tim Walz has once again proven his "Bah Humbug" stance on the Second Amendment. 

George Soros’s Open Society Funded Foreign Agents’ Lawsuits Against U.S. Gun Industry

News  

Monday, December 15, 2025

George Soros’s Open Society Funded Foreign Agents’ Lawsuits Against U.S. Gun Industry

Earlier this month, the Washington Free Beacon ran a piece titled, “‘Assault on Our Sovereignty’: How George Soros Funds Foreign Government Lawsuits Against American Gun Makers.”

ATF Proposes Helpful Reforms for Travel with NFA Items

News  

Monday, December 8, 2025

ATF Proposes Helpful Reforms for Travel with NFA Items

Until the National Firearms Act is a relic of the past, every little bit that makes it easier to navigate can surely help. In recent weeks, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) ...

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

In September, the North Carolina General Assembly briefly returned from recess and re-referred Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, to the House Rules Committee.

Third Circuit Grants Rehearing En Banc in NRA-Supported Challenge to New Jersey’s Carry Restrictions

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Third Circuit Grants Rehearing En Banc in NRA-Supported Challenge to New Jersey’s Carry Restrictions

Today, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals granted rehearing en banc in Siegel v. Platkin, an NRA-supported challenge to New Jersey’s carry restrictions.

Just One More Step: Australia’s New Weapon Laws

News  

Monday, March 24, 2025

Just One More Step: Australia’s New Weapon Laws

Australia implemented a firearm ban and mandatory confiscation in 1996 pursuant to the National Firearms Agreement, in which nearly 700,000 privately-owned firearms were turned in to the government and destroyed. 

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.