Media Say Conservatives Invented ‘Right-Wing Shoplifting Freak-Out.’ Here Are The Facts

The media are on the verge of declaring smash-and-grab robberies “mostly peaceful looting.”

In response to viral video footage of mobs demolishing store display cases and calmly walking out with armloads of merchandise, a growing number of media outlets claim the whole phenomenon has been exaggerated by “right-wing media” looking to create a “moral panic,” retailers angling to hoodwink the public, and “law enforcement lobbyists” desperate for an excuse to increase police funding. But these conspiratorial allegations are often refuted by the stories’ own reporting — not to mention numerous independent sources.