“Portland Mom Shot in the Head by Federal Agents During Protest”
By: Joel Burns
Tags: Apple, Section 230, Social Media, Senate, Fake News

“Portland Mom Shot in the Head by Federal Agents During Protest”

The above Newsweek and Apple News Headline appeared on July 27 2020 and was obviously written to inflame, sway and incite public opinion during Portland’s “non-violent protests” this past summer.

NONE of it EVER happened! No Mom Was Shot in the Head.

So…what other reason would there be to publish that headline? Why did these highly experienced and formerly respected “News” distributors publish this headline at all?

As Section 230 issues are currently being addressed in the U.S. Senate, Apple is acting as a powerful unaccountable aggregator, publisher and distributor of unverified news, as if they have protective antibodies against prosecution. Apple must be included in any investigation and revised Section 230 policy.

Journalism?? Really?

Believe it or not, this unverified story was written by a Newsweek reporter based on a stranger’s Facebook post without even knowing or speaking to the “victim”, witnesses or Federal Law enforcement officials. Plus, there’s no telling who wrote the Apple News headline.

Newsweek admitted in the article, that NONE of their story was corroborated. From no evidence, Apple News, the default headline app that comes as a standard feature on every iPhone, consciously spread the lie to tens of millions of iPhone users (who made Apple the largest company ever) that Federal Agents shot a Portland mom in the head. Incredibly, in the Newsweek article, the author of the Facebook post was never quoted as writing she was shot by Federal Agents. They just made it up!

I’m not sure about you, but, I consider federal agents shooting a mom in the head a HUGE news story.

Stop, and think about it…Apple, the largest company in the world, mainly because they build great tech, made a conscious decision to not pause and verify the accuracy of the story with anyone! Not Newsweek, not the “victim”, not the witnesses nor Federal Agent officials before publishing this bold inflammatory headline on tens of millions of iPhones…

“Portland Mom Shot in the Head by Federal Agents During Protest”.

Apple shot first and did not even ask questions later. This is what Newsweek and Apple consider to be journalism and what their readers need to know. If we weren’t already aware, we can now be assured that Newsweek and Apple’s news sources are as trustworthy as any anonymous source who posts a story on any social media site.

You might recall, in 2008 the Washington Post Co. sold Newsweek for only $1 to some brilliant sucker who maybe didn’t realize their blockbuster stories might come from a highly-industrious riot reporter who wasn’t at the scene copying it off a stranger’s Facebook post. No wonder Newsweek changes owners about as often as I change Covid-19 masks.

Unaccountable “Click-Bait” Media Pimps Run Amuck

Consider the larger issues, though. Newsweek, and all the other random fringe loser media outlets selling any souls they have left for a “click”, would have little or no readership if their fake “Trumped-up” stories weren’t picked up by unaccountable “click bait” pimps like quasi-monopoly Apple. The source just doesn’t matter…if there even is a real source.

It was written in the article that the “victim” and Department of Homeland Security were “contacted for comment”, and???? What did they say?

Later that day the Newsweek/Apple headline was changed to read “Portland Mom Says She Was Struck in the Face During Protest”. It wasn’t posted for long. Nothing was mentioned about the mom NOT being shot in the head, nor was there an apology to DHS and Federal Agents, since Newsweek AND Apple knew they did not shoot anyone.

Instead, it read “Correction: The headline of this article has been updated to more accurately reflect the story.” Oh, so you know, the victim did receive seven stitches for some type of wound, from an unknown object, at a “peaceful protest”. I guess.

Fake News. Confirmed.

For several years, Apple News has systematically published anti-Trump/anti-right, but pro-left, headline propaganda from almost ANY left-leaning source, rotating them regularly multiple times a day and feeding them to at least tens of millions of trusting Apple iPhone customers.

Why Would Apple Alienate Half Their Customers and Shareholders?

Apple has long had a reputation as a closed system, protecting privacy and offering security better than the others. Now, they purposely leave their door ajar for their liberal media and silicon valley friends to spread their narrative version of each story almost exclusively, while censoring the other side.

To me, as a very early adopter and raving fan of Apple’s core products, it would seem to be a huge risk for Apple to disenfranchise half their customers who buy their very expensive devices and accessories by trying to sway public opinion as a publisher, and a flawed one at that.

If I were an Apple shareholder I might suggest to the board that we get out of publishing business, before alienated millions, including me and Congress, do it for them.

Apple acting as a publisher likely violates Section 230 regulations, similar to the other unaccountable social media behemoths. Apple News’ headline editors, irresponsibly CHOSE to write a very dangerous headline in the midst of protests and riotous turmoil for a reason. The buck stops with Apple and CEO, Tim Cook …do you think he is even aware of the purposeful propagandizing?

Purge All But Your Most Trusted Sources & Protect Your Personal Intellectual Property

What’s equally infuriating is that the same Big Media/Big Tech companies who have been publishing this kind of propaganda, with no accountability or public recourse, continue to undermine and dismiss hundreds of testimonies of American citizens who have sworn affidavits under penalty of perjury. The Media deserve NO trust. They prove that every day…with every word.

By now, we all know the bottom line. Apple, Newsweek, all the Media and their conglomerate parent companies just want your clicks, views, your personal data, influence and power…at any cost. And we are handing it to them with each click and opened screen. They have had us over some kind of barrel, barely floating…in their swamp.

Unfortunately, the cost is yours and these unaccountable media predators were provided a Section 230 immunity “vaccine” by the unaccountable and complicit politicians. Until the laws change and they are punished, we ALL know they will continue to get away with it. Who is going to change this abusive policy?