Conservative Leaders Call on the Media to Apologize to the Covington Catholic Kids

RESTON, VA: On Tuesday, Media Research Center Founder and President Brent Bozell and 34 conservative leaders issued a joint statement to the news media calling on them to apologize to the students from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky for their vicious media coverage against the students following their attendance at the 2019 March for Life.

Below is the statement in full:

Over the past week, the liberal media and leftist activists viciously attacked Covington Catholic High School, falsely labeling the group of teenagers racists and bigots based on a deceptively edited viral video. The liberal media's promotion of this false narrative incited death threats to these kids and their families. If not for the leftist media’s contempt for pro-lifers and President Trump, this “story” would have never reached the magnitude that it did.

We now know the kids of Covington Catholic were the real victims of the altercation in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Despite the truth, despite an apology from the Bishop, despite some apologies from some journalists, despite media retractions, despite the deletion of tweets, some leftists in the press and other liberal elites are still perpetuating the lies about the innocent Covington kids. This is bigotry and its own brand of hatred. It is an ongoing display of anti-Trump, anti-life, anti-Catholic, and anti-Christian bias. These are blatant bullying tactics designed to make conservatives and people of faith think twice before standing up for their beliefs or even having the audacity to wear a “MAGA” hat in public, let alone smile while doing it.  

We denounce any media outlet that continues to so dishonestly attack the Covington Catholic kids and we call on them to apologize for the bullying behavior that continues to result in threats of violence against the kids, their school and their community

L. Brent Bozell
Founder and President
Media Research Center

Saul Anuzis
President
60 Plus Association

Kenneth Blackwell

Morton Blackwell
Chairman
The Weyrich Lunch

Bethany and Ryan Bomberger
Founders
The Radiance Foundation

Floyd Brown
Publisher
Western Journal

Susan Carleson
Chairman and CEO
American Civil Rights Union

Monica Cole
Director
OneMillionMoms.com

Ed Corrigan
Executive Director
Conservative Partnership Institute

William Donohue
President
Catholic League

Elaine Donnely 
President
Center for Military Readiness

Becky Norton Dunlop
Virginia

Tricia Erickson
President
Angel Pictures & Publicity, Inc.

Erick Erickson
Editor
The Resurgent

Steven Ertelt
Editor
LifeNews.com

Mark Fitzgibbons
President of Corporate Affairs
American Target Advertising

Lady Brigitte Gabriel
Founder & Chairman
ACT for America

Rebecca Hagelin
Secretary, Council for National Policy

Michael Hichborn
President of the Lepanto Institute

George Landrith
President
Frontiers of Freedom

Joe Langfeld
Executive Director
Human Life Alliance

James Martin
Founder/Chairman
60 Plus Association

Bob McEwen
Former Member
U.S. House of Representatives

James Miller
Budget Director for President Ronald Reagan, 1985-1988

Gene Mills
President
Louisiana Family Forum

Cleta Mitchell

Janet Morano
Priests for Life

C. Preston Noell
President
Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.

Frank Pavone

George Rasley
Managing Editor
ConservativeHQ.com

Patrick Reilly
President
The Cardinal Newman Society

Terry Schilling
Executive Director
American Principles Project

Jon Schweppe 
Director of Government Affairs
American Principles Project

Richard Viguerie

LTC. Allen West, U.S. Army, Ret.
Member, 112th U.S. Congress
Senior Fellow, Media Research Center

Tim Wildmon
President
American Family Association