When Violence Targets Conservatives, the Media Looks Away

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

The nation is reeling after the tragic shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school. Two children are dead, more than a dozen are injured, and the community is shattered. Investigators have identified the shooter as Robin M. Westman, and disturbing evidence has already surfaced: weapons scrawled with political messages, including “Kill Donald Trump.”

This fact should dominate headlines. Yet it will not.

The corporate press will bury it, sanitize it, or frame it around mental illness and gun control. What they will not do is admit what the evidence shows: a politically motivated act of violence targeting conservatives.

Why?

Because the media knows the truth – that the Left has incubated more political violence than the Right – and they know that by covering it honestly, they would have to acknowledge their own role in fueling it.

When the Target Is Trump, the Media Covers It Up

Imagine the roles reversed. If Westman’s gun had been scrawled with “Kill Joe Biden,” it would dominate news cycles for weeks. Every outlet would brand it as proof of right-wing extremism. Pundits would warn that Trump supporters are waging war on democracy. Politicians would demand investigations, new laws, and new surveillance powers. The shooter would be painted not as a lone actor but as the product of a movement, and conservatives as a whole would be slandered with the blame.

But because the target was Donald Trump, the script flips. The shooter will be portrayed as mentally ill, not ideological. His actions will be described as isolated, not systemic. The violent message on his gun will be buried deep in articles, if mentioned at all. The media knows that highlighting the reality (that the violence came from the Left) would reveal something they cannot allow the public to see: that the Left has normalized hatred and violence against conservatives, and the media itself has been complicit in that normalization.

The “Kill LGBTQIA” Scenario

The bias becomes even clearer if you imagine the gun marked “Kill LGBTQIA.” The coverage would be wall-to-wall. The shooter would be cited as proof that conservatives pose an existential threat to marginalized groups. Activist organizations would dominate the airwaves. Politicians would push new speech laws. The violence would be treated as inevitable, not anomalous.

The difference is not subtle. When the target is a progressive cause or figure, violence is framed as a national crisis. When the target is conservatives, the same violence is minimized or ignored. That is not oversight, it is self-preservation by a press that knows the Left’s rhetoric inspires violence and refuses to take responsibility for it.

The Left’s Violence and the Media’s Guilt

Political violence is not equal between the parties. The Left has encouraged and excused far more of it, from riots that destroyed cities to assaults on individuals labeled as “fascists.” The press covered those events with a wink, calling them “mostly peaceful” or ignoring them altogether.

That same press knows its selective outrage is dishonest. They know that unhinged shooters like Westman are fed a steady diet of media narratives that demonize Trump and conservatives as existential threats. They know they are complicit in incitement. And that is precisely why they hide the truth when the violence breaks the wrong way, because covering it honestly would expose their own culpability.

Why This Matters

The stakes go beyond one shooting. The media’s bias does more than distort public perception. It legitimizes political violence against conservatives by refusing to acknowledge it as part of a broader pattern. It tells millions of Americans that when violence is directed at them, it does not count. That message is dangerous. It ensures mistrust in journalism will deepen, and it guarantees our political divides will only harden.

If America is serious about stopping political violence, we must stop pretending it comes from only one side. The media must be held to account for fueling the climate of hostility that has pushed the country into dangerous polarization. Violence against conservatives must be treated with the same gravity as violence against progressives.

Anything less is not journalism. It is a cover-up.

The victims in Minneapolis and Americans everywhere see through the charade. They know the truth, no matter how hard the press tries to hide it.

C. J. Garbo is a cybersecurity executive, law enforcement veteran, and political strategist. He currently serves as the BISO for a global technology solutions company and has more than 15 years of experience in public safety. In addition to his professional work, Garbo has managed political campaigns, served as a county planning commissioner, and remains an active voice in civic and cultural leadership. His broad background in security, government, and community affairs gives him a unique perspective on the dangers of political violence and the media’s responsibility in shaping public perception.

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.