Mainstream Media Completely Ignores Real Causes Of LA Wildfires
As catastrophic wildfires rage across southern California, the corporate liberal media are engaged in all of their nastiest habits at once in their coverage of the disaster
From fevered shrieking about ‘climate change’ to blind defense of inept Democratic officials to obligatory fits of Trump-bashing, their reporting on the California wildfires perfectly highlights everything that makes our leftist media so terrible.
As we’ve seen with how they cover hurricanes, they regard every environmental disaster imaginable as an opportunity to pontificate about ‘climate change’.
During the January 8 edition of MSNBC’s The 11th Hour, host Stephanie Ruhle announced:
“Wildfires raging in L.A. are highlighting the risk of climate change — yes, climate change!”
That same evening, CBS anchor Lindsey Reiser claimed on the network’s streaming service:
“The wildfires in California are the latest in a string of natural disasters made worse by climate change.”
This refrain persisted through to the weekend until, on Monday, January 13, CNN number cruncher Harry Enten delivered some devastating news to CNN News Central co-host John Berman:
“Despite all these extreme weather events, Americans are really no more worried about climate change than they were nearly 35 years ago. I mean, there’s just no real trend line here, Mr. Berman.”
In other words, despite practically 35 years of journalists shrieking about ‘climate change’, Americans are no more concerned about it now than they were in the 1980s.
Journalists also made sure to shield California officials from any and all scrutiny, particularly when that scrutiny came from President-elect Trump.
On January 8, notorious climate alarmist Michael Mann called Trump’s criticism of President Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom “classic deflection,” adding: “[it’s] because he doesn’t want to talk about climate change.”
Meanwhile, the network displayed a chyron that read: “TRUMP FALSELY BLAMES BIDEN, NEWSOM FOR WILDFIRES.”
On January 13, PBS NewsHour co-host Geoff Bennett scoffed:
“As we continue covering these destructive wildfires out west, the State’s Governor, L.A.’s Mayor, they are really fending off attacks from Donald Trump and his allies.”
Of course, it takes a whole mess of factors for a wildfire to grow to such a massive scale. But there is absolutely no disputing the role that mismanagement and ineptitude played in allowing this disaster to occur.
The gross incompetence of California and Los Angeles officials has been detailed thoroughly by numerous other outlets, so here are just two examples:
- In 2022, Newsom announced a plan to clear 400,000 acres annually with controlled or “prescribed” burning (among the most important wildfire prevention practices). However, according to National Interagency Fire Center data through October 2024, California burned only 28,000 acres in 2024. Not only is that a pathetic seven percent of what Newsom pledged, but it’s also several orders of magnitude less than the acreage burned in significantly smaller states like Alabama (602,000 acres burned), Arkansas (285,000 acres), and Georgia (1,396,000 acres).
- In addition to cutting the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) budget by $17.6 million, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appointed a Fire Chief who is significantly more interested in DEI than she is in anything to do with fire prevention or suppression. The Federalist’s Beth Brelje recently went through the LAFD’s strategic plan, where she found some woefully misplaced priorities: “[T]ogether, the words ‘diverse’ and ‘diversity’ appear 16 times; the word ‘water’ appears just twice, and the word ‘hydrant’ does not appear at all.”
There’s plenty more blame to go around, but the point is that not only did these talking heads avoid discussing any of these egregious missteps by California officials, they outright denied the notion that these officials might have mishandled anything to begin with.
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BVS
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First of all, I don’t think Biden or Newsom caused wildfires, nor did they want them. No one wanted this except maybe an arsonist. Report science please, not biased politics. Secondly, climate change does exist. It doesn’t mean that people are causing it. Check out the “ice age.” We are definitely polluting everything and that’s a fact. Does any of this cause the wild fires? I don’t know. Did fiscal policy affect the response? It could have. I do agree that everything should be investigated, objectively. Stop trying to divide people. Follow the science objectively and just report the facts.
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VOWG
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The facts on the ground have been stated. Read more.
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sunsettommy
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I don’t think anyone made that claim about Newsome, Bass and Biden but their disinterest, incompetence and stupidity made it far worse thus they are a major factor in the severity and damaging effect of the fire outcome.
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MattH
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The Los Angeles Fire Department budget was cut by 17.6 million dollars in May 2024 from the previous year.
This resulted in the fire chief allowing over 100 fire trucks to become unserviceable by the time the wild fires ignited.
FAIR: (Federation for American Illegal Immigration Reform) Illegal Immigration Costs California Taxpayers Nearly $31 Billion a Year.
Seems to be an anomaly in budgetary priorities without even starting on the unavailability of water and the failed water reserves.
BVS mentions, show me the science. Well the science could have included an experimental area where sea water was used for fire fighting so the salinity could be used to inhibit regrowth and to create managed regrowth fire inhibited areas to compare with non salinity areas.
I would bet this is a part of no plan.
The Los Angeles people got what they voted for, BVS.
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Joe
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The fires were started by Khazarian Jews. Khazarian Jews control all Mainstream Media. Direct Energy weapons, the same as in Hawaii, were uses in California.
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VOWG
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You can leave your Jew hatred elsewhere.
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Jerry Krause
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Hi BVS,
Wildfires are a NATURAL PHENOMENA in parts of the Americas and I have read that the FIRST Americans deliberately set fires to make hunting easier (more successful). And this is why the Willamette Valley of Oregon was. so ready for the plow when former Europeans later settled the Valley and the other parts. of western USA which the Russians had sold to the USA. Polar-wise of 45 degrees latitude has always had a CLIMATE that required STRONG, INTELLIGENT, DETERMINED SETTLERS. And the Southern Hemisphere has no continents south of 45 degrees except Antarctica.
Have a good day
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BVS
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No argument with your point. My issue is with the political blame game and divide and conquer politics. I want to read the science applications not that Biden did it. Trump’s a felon and sexual predator. Pelosi inside trades. Biden funded genocide in two countries. And President Musk knows what’s best for everyone. Just report the science please.
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VOWG
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Wow, you are mostly nuts.
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BVS
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Do your own research. If have, then you’re in denial. Nuff said.
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Jerry Krause
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Hi BVS,
All good SCIENTISTS recognize they are uncertain about what they believe they understand. But it seems you don’t have this problem.
Have a good day
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S.C.
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The MSM decided to toss all credibility out the window in pursuit of a political agenda. I waste exactly zero percent of my time listening to them or worrying about the latest bs propaganda they may be spewing, and I’m one of millions in this fast growing demographic.
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Lorraine
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I am more than eager to cut the propagandists out of my life with an assist from President Trump. No more WHO, Paris Climate Accord and acknowledgement of the biological reality of two sexes, male and female.
Who would have thought common sense would be so much fun! That’s just the beginning.
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