Journalists grapple with misconceptions about Rittenhouse narrative as trial unfolds

WASHINGTON (TND) — Ana Kasparian of liberal outlet The Young Turks sought “to correct the record” on an assumption she made about the narrative surrounding the Kyle Rittenhouse self-defense case.

“Initially I was under the assumption that Rittenhouse was the person who was chasing after Joseph Rosenbaum,” Kasparian said on air. “That that’s how it had started. But I was wrong about that.”

Kasparian then showed video of Rosenbaum, 36, chasing Rittenhouse before he was fatally shot during the civil unrest that unfolded in Kenosha, Wis. on Aug. 25, 2020.

The Young Turks host said, “what really mattered” was “what started all of it.”

Kasparian, while notable, appeared not to be the only individual who admittedly misunderstood the Rittenhouse narrative. Investigative reporter Glenn Greenwald unearthed a tweet from someone who claimed to be “highly educated and reasonably perceptive” but admitted, “it was only today that [they] learned the Kyle Rittenhouse victims were white.”

The day after Rosenbaum and others were shot by Rittenhouse, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said in a tweet that Rittenhouse “shot and killed 2 people who had assembled to affirm the value, dignity and worth of Black lives,” and called for the media to “fix your damn headlines.”

However, it was reported that Rosenbaum had been discharged from the hospital for mental health reasons just hours before he was shot by Rittenhouse, and “doesn’t appear to have attended a protest before,” according to the video Kasparian played on her broadcast to back up her changing stance.

The other person fatally shot by Rittenhouse, Anthony Huber, 26, also reportedly dealt with mental health challenges and the civil unrest in Kenosha was only the second time he attended such an event, according to The Washington Post.

“So look, these details matter, because if you’re going to make an argument that you acted in self-defense there needs to be some proof that there was an imminent threat,” Kasparian noted on her broadcast.

“I never commented on the Rittenhouse case until I started watching large chunks of the trial,” tweeted Greenwald, “and all I can say is that anyone who has done the same and denies that there's a huge gap between the media narrative about this and what actually happened is not telling the truth.”

Greenwald applauded Kasparian for acknowledging that she got things wrong. The National Desk reached out to Kasparian and The Young Turks for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.