A Mostly Fire-Free LA

What's Wrong with Left-Wing Media?

“LA is burning!” scream all the headlines, both in the MSM and on Substack. Actually, no it’s not: here’s the New York Times story and its map, below.

The gray part is what’s not burning.

Before anyone robotically trashes me for minimizing the tragedy: no, I’m not. It’s horrible to lose your home and all your belongings. The damage is immense. It’s the worst fire in California history. If your friend lives in Downey or Ontario or Torrance you’ve probably called them to make sure they’re safe (they are).

Let’s look at some numbers (all the fire stats are from the NYT story from Sunday, 1/12/2025):

According to World Population Review, the population of the greater LA area is 17.5 million. That means the percentage of people evacuated is 1% of the total.

What’s the News?

In the Kenosha, Wisconsin fires, CNN and MSNBC shat themselves by attempting to minimize the violence. CNN’s coverage had a chyron “Fiery but mostly peaceful protests after police shooting.” The linked story quotes other media outlets that desperately tried to make the story about “peaceful protests” while reporters were literally standing in front of burning buildings.

If It Bleeds, It Leads

This is a cliche in the news business. If the story involves death or injury or crime, then the news trucks are all over it. No permit is required to film on public streets about a public matter, and the viewers will watch it. “Good news” is not news.

Thus, the fact that there are no fires in Downey or Ontario or Torrance is not news. 99% of the population of greater LA is not under an evacuation order. But the news business is following one of its most basic and time-honored rules: cover what’s happening, not what isn’t happening. No one wants to watch a reporter standing in front of the Del Amo mall reporting, “All quiet here, Lester!”

Most of Your Body Isn’t Bleeding

For the 2020-2021 riots, the above title seems to have been the rule instead. Yes, your arm is gushing blood from a severed artery, but hey, most of you is not bleeding.