New York Times unveils massive propaganda campaign

The Action

The New York Times will be spending the next two years trying to convince us that America was founded in 1619 - the year the first Africans were brought to Virginia to be sold as slaves.

Through its "1619 Project," the paper hopes to "reframe the country's history, understanding 1619 as our true founding, and placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are."

In an interview with PBS, project leader Nikole Hannah-Jones describes the goals of the 1619 Project:

"We're really trying to change the way that Americans are thinking that this was just a problem of the past that we've resolved and show that it isn't," says Hannah-Jones. "If we truly understand that black people are fully American and so the struggle of black people to make our union actually reflect its values is not a negative thing against the country, because we are citizens who are working to make this country better for all Americans. That is something that white Americans...should also be proud of and embrace that story. We cannot deny our past. And if you believe that 1776 matters, if you believe that our Constitution still matters, then you also have to understand that the legacy of slavery still matters and you can't pick and choose what parts of history we think are important and which ones aren't."

As Hannah-Jones explains, the paper will be sending speakers and copies of its 1619 Project essays to schools throughout the country.

The Reaction

Critics see the 1619 Project as a blatant attack on President Trump - especially in light of a leaked transcript that revealed the paper's executive director, Dean Baquet, talking about the project as a replacement for the paper's focus on the Trump-Russia narrative.

In a recent meeting, Baquet spoke to his colleagues about his "vision" to make race the central theme of the paper's coverage for the last two years of President Trump's term.

"We built our newsroom to cover one story," he said, referring to the Trump-Russia narrative. "Now, we have to regroup...and shift resources and emphasis to take on a different story."

That story is race - about how everything in America came from the slave trade and how Trump is a racist.

"Race in the next year...is going to be a huge part of the American story," continued Baquet. "And I mean, race in terms not only of African Americans and their relationship with Donald Trump but Latinos and immigration."

On Sunday, GOP Senator Ted Cruz (TX) accused the Times of completely abandoning journalism.

"There was a time when journalists covered 'news.' The NYT has given up on even pretending anymore. Today, they are Pravda, a propaganda outlet by liberals, for liberals," tweeted Cruz.

"The NY Times 1619 Project should make its slogan 'All the Propaganda we want to brainwash you with,'" added former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

President Trump took his criticism one step further, describing the Times as "an evil propaganda machine for the Democrat Party."

The Takeaway

The accomplishments of black Americans are certainly important in the history of this country, but the claim that the US was founded in 1619 and not 1776 is hard to swallow.

Considering Baquet's comments, the 1619 Project looks like a propaganda effort designed to defeat Trump in the upcoming election.

If the project fails, it will destroy the Times's reputation for good. If it succeeds, it will teach our next generation that race is the most important thing in our society and in so doing will inflame racial tensions for years to come.
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We were not the United States in 1619. We were a British colony.
The New York Times isn't even fit for bird cage lining anymore.