In January, the networks went silent on Critical Race Theory in schools. It's role in education was not mentioned on any of the network morning or evening shows.
But if you think the threat of CRT is gone, you are sadly mistaken. For much of last year, especially as Virginia prepared for a governor’s election with CRT being a focal point, ABC, CBS and NBC repeatedly told us that it was “not taught in schools.”
But January brought us “Privilege Bingo.” That’s right, Fairfax County, Virginia public schools apologized after students were forced to play this vile game in order to “identify your privilege.” The twisted version of Bingo included “white,” “male,” “Christian,” “cisgender.” In a new low, it also had a space marked “military kid.”
Appearing on Fox News Primetime, veteran and outraged parent Joe Mobley responded:
My kids for most of their lives never had a blood relative that wasn't a parent at a birthday, at a Christmas, at a Thanksgiving because we lived 1,500 miles from the nearest relative. And to look at them and to say that they are privileged because their military family is absolutely unacceptable. This is completely out of touch, it's offensive. And it's just an indicator that the leadership in these schools needs to change.
On January 19, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Pat Herrity tweeted an image of “Privilege Bingo.”
Total coverage for “military kid” privilege bingo? For Critical Race Theory in schools on the networks in January? 0 minutes and 0 seconds. (The only exception came on the January 30 CBS Sunday Morning where reporter David Pogue talked to lawyer Bryan Stevenson about his work to exonerate the wrongly accused. Pogue began, “You might have heard this term 'critical race theory.'” But this segment had nothing to do with CRT in schools.)
Yet, in the fall of 2021, the media repeatedly, and falsely, told us that CRT isn’t taught in schools. MSNBC host Ali Velshi called it a “new dog whistle except you can hear it.” Talking about the Virginia governor’s race, CBS Mornings Host Nate Burleson mislead, “The curriculum is not taught in Virginia schools." Today show reporters lectured that “it is not taught in any Virginia high school.”
Clearly, the journalists at NBC haven’t played “Privilege Bingo.” Here’s a montage of lies by MRC media editor Bill D’Agostino.
As Fox News noted in October, “A presentation on the [Virginia Department of Education] website from 2015, when [Terry] McAullife was governor, encouraged teachers to ‘embrace Critical Race Theory’ as part of its "Culturally-Responsive Teaching.”
As January turned to February, the shocking use of CRT continued. Only Fox reported the news out of Georgia:
Gwinnett County, home to the largest school district in Georgia, is facing harsh criticism after posting and then removing from the district’s website a controversial syllabus that said AP classes will teach critical race theory and Marxism. While the school district maintains the syllabus was never used for any classes, parents are sounding the alarm on what their children are actually being taught.
Critical Race Theory IS being taught in schools. The networks were lying to you last year and now they have gone silent as the facts reveal themselves. We may not have needed “Privilege Bingo” to disprove the media’s lies about CRT, but it sure underlines the point: There’s nothing corrupt journalists won’t do in order to protect CRT. This February, ABC, CBS and NBC have a responsibility to admit the truth to their viewers.
