Conservative leaders call on liberal media to issue apologies to Covington Catholic teens

Brent Bozell, Media Research Center President and Founder, is calling for the liberal media to apologize to the Covington Catholic High School students who were targeted with misinformation.

During the March for Life, a viral video of Phillips interacting with the Covington Catholic High School boys emerged, sparking a media firestorm.

Social media — and the actual media — pointed fingers at the boys for reportedly taunting Phillips while he demonstrated. When other videos of the incident emerged, however, the narrative changed entirely — and the teens at the center of the controversy were vindicated.

You can read more about the background of the incident here.

What did the statement say?

According to a Tuesday Newsbusters post, Bozell — along with 34 other conservative leaders — issued a statement to the media, calling on them to issue an apology to the students and parents affected by the media circus that painted the high schoolers as racists and more.

The statement reads, "Over the past week, the liberal media and leftist activists viciously attacked Covington Catholic High School, falsely labeling the group of teenagers racists and bigots based on a deceptively edited viral video."

"The liberal media's promotion of this false narrative incited death threats to these kids and their families," the statement continues. "If not for the leftist media's contempt for pro-lifers and President Trump, this 'story' would have never reached the magnitude that it did."

The joint statement — which was signed off on by the likes of Susan Carleson, chairman and CEO of the American Civil Rights Union; Monica Cole, director of One Million Moms; Erick Erickson, editor of The Resurgent and more — adds that the young men "are the real victims of the altercation in front of the Lincoln Memorial."

"Despite the truth, despite an apology from the Bishop, despite some apologies from some journalists, despite media retractions, despite the deletion of tweets, some leftists in the press and other liberal elites are still perpetuating the lies about the innocent Covington kids," the statement continues.

The letter goes on to point out the worrying component of wearing a MAGA hat in public, as well as the belief that the apparent media bias is nothing short of bigotry and hate.

"This is bigotry and its own brand of hatred. It is an ongoing display of anti-Trump, anti-life, anti-Catholic, and anti-Christian bias," the letter adds. "These are blatant bullying tactics designed to make conservatives and people of faith think twice before standing up for their beliefs or even having the audacity to wear a 'MAGA' hat in public, let alone smile while doing it."

The statement concludes, "We denounce any media outlet that continues to so dishonestly attack the Covington Catholic kids and we call on them to apologize for the bullying behavior that continues to result in threats of violence against the kids, their school and their community."