OPINION:
It’s not entirely unusual for the mainstream media to be slammed as little more than a mouthpiece for the left — a progressive, quasi-socialist-minded body that wants nothing more than to see Democrats rise, Republicans fall and conservatism to be blotted from the face of U.S. politics.
But loving on the dictatorships? That’s exactly what some seem to be doing, with all the heaping of praise that’s been piled on Kim Jong-un’s sister, who’s attending the Olympics — or, as The New York Times would put it, in this glaring headline: “Kim Jong-Un’s Sister Turns On the Charm, Taking [Mike] Pence’s Spotlight.”
The story included mention of how media in South Korea quickly dubbed Kim Yo-jong “North Korea’s Ivanka,” as well as several glowing descriptions of the despot’s sis. For instance, The New York Times wrote, “Flashing a sphinx-like smile and without ever speaking in public, Ms. Kim managed to outflank Mr. Trump’s envoy to the Olympics, Vice President Mike Pence, in the game of diplomatic image-making.”
A sphinx-like smile?
Geesh, makes one wonder how The New York Times might describe Eva Braun, say, or one of Adolf Hitler’s sisters. Remember how the media went ga-ga over Bashar Assad’s wife, making her the crowning glory of the fashion world? Despicable. And embarrassing.
And now the media’s bestowing similar golden honors on Despot Kim’s sister.
NBC’s Lester Holt, reporting from a North Korea ski resort in January, called it a “source of immense pride for a country trying to present a new and modern face to the world” in the leadup to the Olympic Games, Fox News noted.
CNN, in a glowing piece titled, “Kim Jong Un’s sister is stealing the show at the Winter Olympics,” wrote: “If ’diplomatic dance’ were an event at the Winter Olympics, Kim Jong Un’s younger sister would be favored to win gold. With a smile, a handshake and a warm message in South Korea’s presidential guest book, Kim Yo Jong has struck a chord with the public just one day into the PyeongChang Games.”
Does CNN not know this woman is Kim’s emissary of deception?
North Korea wants the world to see it as a bastion of freedom, good will and good government — that when it comes to U.S.-North Korea relations, it really is Trump, not Kim, who’s to blame here. And apparently, Kim’s sister is doing her propaganda job well. The media have not just fallen in love with her. They’ve fallen at her feet and kissed away.
From Fox: “According to the U.S. Department of Treasure, Kim Yo Jong is the Vice Director of the Worker’s Party of Korea Propaganda and Agitation Department.”
Let’s remember that, please. Let’s remember North Korea is the nation that wants to nuke America, to rule the world.
Instead of making a propagandist’s job easier, the media should instead use the occasion of Kim Yo-jong’s appearance at the Olympics to bust out her propaganda background and use it as a platform to slide into commentary about North Korea’s long-running despotism and evil nature. Yes, it’s the Olympics and we’re all supposed to get along. But North Korea struck first by sending a propaganda figure to do a diplomat’s mission. The media could be a little bit more watchdoggy on this point, a little less lapdoggy, and actually use the global platform to strike a cause for freedom, justice and truth — rather than lazily loving on a dictator’s sister and her smiley, oh-so-smiley face.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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