Trump, Smithsonian framed negatively in museum review: Bias Breakdown

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00:00The media is looking to persuade you rather than inform you, and there's a big difference

00:06between the two. Welcome back to Bias Breakdown.

00:09This is really bad and really, really dangerous. What this guy is doing is trying to turn the

00:16Smithsonian into a propaganda machine. This sounds like a Stalinist purge. It sounds like

00:22something out of history books about regimes trying to control information.

00:27The last time we sort of talked about the changing of historical exhibits was when

00:31all these angry mobs all over the country tore down historical statues all over the place,

00:35and the people who seemed to be angriest about the Smithsonian Review were cheering that on.

00:39When you make every single exhibit about white imperialism when it isn't relevant at all,

00:46that is a problem. The Trump administration announced it will be reviewing how the Smithsonian

00:51museums are presenting exhibits and facts connected to U.S. history ahead of America's 250th birthday

00:59next year.

00:59We want the museums to treat our country fairly. We want the museums to talk about the history

01:04of our country in a fair manner, not in a woke manner or in a racist manner, which is what

01:10many of them, not all of them, but many of them are doing.

01:12The media's reporting on the story focuses more on telling you how to feel about that rather

01:18than simply laying out what's happening and letting you draw your own conclusions.

01:24We're going to talk about negativity bias and how the left is framing the story negatively

01:29against Trump.

01:30I don't like the way history is written. I don't like that exhibit that makes me look bad.

01:35We're going to change it. I mean, this is an authoritarian playbook.

01:38I learned in history class that this is how authoritarians operate.

01:42They take over the arts, they take over the culture, they take over the museum.

01:45This has just kind of a Soviet feel to it, a Stalinist feel to it.

01:50And commentators on the right are framing it negatively against the Smithsonian.

01:56In our own museums, it's all, again, about race and racism.

02:00It's time to showcase what's good about America and not just our racial struggles.

02:05Every single thing is like, oh, no, no, no, this is all because white people bad.

02:12And that's just not the truth.

02:15Like, for example, every single exhibit, I have a list of every single one.

02:19Because the museums have a constant anti-American message.

02:23If I go through any of these museums in the Smithsonian, I would encourage people to do so

02:26when they're in D.C.

02:27You would think America's a country defined, not just experienced, racism, sexism,

02:32all sorts of other bigotry.

02:33These are the political agendas driving how the left and right media tell the story.

02:39Framing coverage around a narrative against either Trump or the Smithsonian.

02:45That's bias.

02:46We'll break down why and then show you what's really happening.

02:50Let's take a look at this HuffPost piece on the left.

02:53Everyone is so scared inside the Smithsonian as Trump attacks art and history.

02:59The word attack here is what we call a spin word.

03:03As explained by the media watchdog group All Sides, spin words can imply bad behavior

03:09without providing hard facts to support the claim.

03:13In this case, that Trump is attacking the museum.

03:17The media uses these words to stir emotions by choosing colored, dramatic, or sensational words.

03:24This headline is also a form of negativity bias by framing events in a negative light.

03:32Highlighting a quote about everyone being scared, claiming Trump is attacking art and history,

03:38preloads the reader to view the story and Trump negatively.

03:43While telling the reader nothing on what the story is actually about,

03:48that the administration is conducting a review of the Smithsonian.

03:52Instead, it builds a sense of fear and alarm before any facts are even presented.

03:59Now let's look at a headline from the Federalist on the right.

04:03Smithsonian's American History Museum is wall-to-wall anti-American propaganda.

04:10Again, this is a form of negativity bias.

04:13However, this time it leads readers in the opposite direction of our last headline,

04:18which was negative against Trump.

04:20Here the headline is loaded against the Smithsonian,

04:23guiding readers to view it negatively before presenting any facts.

04:29Calling the museum's wall displays anti-American propaganda without attributing that description

04:35to anyone is also a form of bias by using subjective qualifying adjectives.

04:42Now, according to all sides, this is when a journalist uses qualifying adjectives,

04:46they're suggesting a way for you to think about or interpret the issue

04:51instead of just giving you the facts and letting you make judgments for yourself.

04:55So in this case, the Federalist wants you to interpret Smithsonian wall displays

05:00as anti-American propaganda.

05:03While terms like displays or artifacts would have been more neutral here,

05:08the article then describes some of those displays but frames them as anti-American,

05:14leaving little room for readers to interpret for themselves.

05:19Media bias often starts at the top in the news headline.

05:23It's what readers see first and it sets the tone and sometimes narrative right off the bat

05:28before even getting to the story.

05:31Those headlines didn't tell us much.

05:34You might be wondering what the heck is going on to cause the divisiveness playing out

05:38in print and network media.

05:41Here are some of the facts to the story you should know.

05:44All of this noise from the news media stems from this,

05:47a four-page letter the Trump administration sent to the Smithsonian

05:51announcing an internal review of exhibitions and materials

05:55ahead of America's 250th birthday next summer.

05:59The White House says,

06:00we will be leading a comprehensive internal review

06:03of selected Smithsonian museums and exhibitions.

06:07This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the president's directive

06:11to celebrate American exceptionalism,

06:13remove divisive or partisan narratives,

06:16and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.

06:20The White House said the review would be a constructive and collaborative effort.

06:25The move didn't come as a surprise.

06:28Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order

06:31called Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,

06:35intended to restore statues removed over ties to the Confederacy,

06:40and to, quote,

06:40save our Smithsonian.

06:42For years, Trump has raised concerns about how American history is presented.

06:48The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history,

06:54desecrate our monuments, our beautiful monuments,

06:57tear down our statues and punish, cancel,

07:05and persecute anyone who does not conform to their demands for absolute and total control.

07:13Depending on your political view,

07:16you might see the Smithsonian's American history displays

07:19as either left-leaning or factually fair.

07:23It's at the heart of this issue,

07:25and it's the part of the story where narratives split along two paths.

07:30There was confusion last month when the Washington Post reported the Smithsonian

07:34removed references to Trump's two impeachments.

07:38The museum released a statement saying the museum was updating the placard's language

07:42and that the Trump administration had nothing to do with the revisions.

07:47The Smithsonian had already updated them, and they're back on display.

07:51But the issue further fueled the partisan divide over the issue,

07:54captured in this CNN exchange with commentators on the left and right.

08:00I think at the end of the day, this is a White House that's willing to change history,

08:04willing to change facts based on the needs and will of the president.

08:07Why would you scoff? That's literally what we just read.

08:09I just think you're blowing it out of proportion.

08:11I'm blowing it out of proportion.

08:12Can you absolutely imagine if another president...

08:16It's the Smithsonian. I mean, they're going to put it back.

08:17I don't know when they're going to put it back,

08:19but I think it's a little...

08:21We're blowing it a little out of proportion to say we're changing history

08:23because they're updating an exhibit at one museum.

08:26The Trump administration has begun its review of the Smithsonian.

08:30According to the White House's letter, the process is being conducted

08:33in a coordinated manner with the museum.

08:36Right now, it's a waiting game to see what changes might come

08:40from the review of museum displays.

08:42But left and right-leaning media are already trying to guide you to a conclusion,

08:48either casting Trump negatively, suggesting he may rewrite history to favor himself,

08:53or casting the Smithsonian negatively, suggesting its version of history is already skewed and needs

09:00revision.

09:02Both sides say they want a fair portrayal of history, but what fair means differs depending

09:09on political perspective.

09:11The media is mostly giving you the version which fits its own leanings, a tactic to persuade

09:18rather than presenting you facts without all the opinion noise surrounding them.

09:23And that's your bias breakdown.

09:25Thanks so much for watching this week's episode all the way to the end here.

09:30Remember, you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms.

09:34Just search bias breakdown and you should see us pop up.

09:38We received great feedback on last week's episode about DC crime statistics and how left

09:44and right-leaning media have used that data to push very different narratives.

09:48I really appreciate the hundreds of you who commented and shared your insights and joined

09:53in on our conversation.

09:55I actually learned quite a few things from what y'all were saying.

09:58So thank you.

09:59If you have thoughts on this week's episode, then go find us on YouTube and comment on our

10:04story.

10:04And I'll try to reply back to some of you later.

10:06A big thank you to Ian and Allie for the help on video edits and graphics this week.

10:12And thank you for watching.

10:13As always, I'll see you next time.

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