Charlie Ward sent out this news alert, which I thought was interesting, so I’m posting it here.

“What The Mainstream Media Aren’t Telling Us

Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) has been portrayed as having faced a significant defeat in the recent French election. Contrary to mainstream media claims, including those from the BBC and the Telegraph, RN actually saw the largest increase in vote share during the second round. The BBC’s coverage framed the outcome as a shock victory for the Left, describing Le Pen’s party as being pushed to third place by Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance. However, this narrative is misleading.

In reality, the Leftist alliance led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon saw a 2.4% drop in vote share, while RN increased its share by 3.8%. Despite all parties receiving fewer votes in the second round, RN’s performance was the most improved. This misreporting appears to stem from a broader media strategy to frame the “far right” as a significant threat that can only be overcome by a united democratic front. This tactic is reminiscent of other media portrayals aiming to marginalize right-wing populists and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage. The true data contradicts the narrative of a rout against Le Pen’s party, highlighting a significant distortion in how the election results were presented.”