AP Reports 'Conservative Influencer,' Forgetting 'Capitol Riot, FBI Most Wanted' Influencer
The AP's International section reports on Jake Lang, described as a 'conservative influencer,' attempting to hold an anti-immigration rally in Minneapolis. What they conveniently streamline is that this particular 'influencer' was previously charged with assaulting an officer with a baseball bat during the January 6th Capitol riot and was, at one point, on the FBI's most wanted list. (One might
wonder if 'domestic extremist charged with felony assault' makes for less palatable prose than 'conservative influencer.') While focusing on local protests against ICE, the media frames Lang's participation as merely that of a provocateur. This selective amnesia about his alleged violent history serves a narrative: normalize the fringe by softening their past, while simultaneously presenting
immigration crackdowns as just another policy disagreement. It's almost as if some 'influencers' are more equal, or at least more gently introduced, than others.