The Associated Press has been on a downward slide. The media haven't talked about it because the downward slide takes the Leftist bent of most mainstream media news sources. But it's not healthy. And, at the very least, we need to be aware of it. Don't get me wrong, the AP is still an incredible source for good journalism, but, increasingly, it is polluted with subtle partisanship cloaked as news. Take their coverage of Antifa, most recently an article from yesterday.

The title:

Oregon police chief orders review of use of force at protest.

From the headline, it's clear that the AP plans to frame Antifa as the victims.

Police ordered the counter-protesters to disperse, then moved in behind a volley of stun grenades. One of the rounds reportedly hit a counter-protester in the head, becoming embedded in his helmet and injuring him.

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I love that last one. Of course the guy had a helmet on. He was wearing a helmet and still somehow got hurt. Antifa aren't exactly known for their bravery or honor. They reminded us of that fact this weekend. Video footage emerged of Antifa members chasing a man as he tried to get away from them, then sucker-punching him, and, finally, spraying him with bear mace as he writhed on the ground. Antifa has a habit of sucker-punching and assaulting people, there are hours of this on YouTube documenting this fact. They pride themselves for their organized anarchy. They vehemently hate police. So, from the first line of the AP article, it's clear that the journalist has sided with Antifa:

Portland police were accused Sunday of being heavy-handed against people protesting a rally by extreme-right demonstrators, reportedly injuring some counter-protesters and prompting the city's new police chief to order a review of officers' use of force.

So this is a story about police using excessive force on "counter-protestors" who are "protesting" "extreme-right demonstrators"? In other words, the police are the problem here, and Antifa is the victim, despite standing up for a just cause. For some reason, the article quotes the Oregon chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, who said that police "targeted Portland residents peacefully counter-protesting against racist far-right groups, including white supremacists, white nationalists, and neo-Nazi gangs." This quote comes near the top of the article. It's the first quotation in the article. The next quote comes from the Portland branch of the ACLU, which called the police's response to Antifa "completely unacceptable in a free society."

Oddly, the article does not include a statement from the police themselves, only noting that Police Chief Danielle Outlaw "assumed command less than a year ago as Portland's first African-American female police chief." Why is that relevant? Isn't it more important to know what she has to say? In her words? The article only says that Police Chief Outlaw "said in a statement that she takes all use-of-force cases seriously."

Any respectable news outlet would call Antifa what it is: A radical hate group.

Any respectable news outlet would call Antifa what it is: A radical hate group. Instead, the Associated Press goes after the police and the right-leaning Proud Boys, citing the Southern Poverty Law Center as a source: "The Proud Boys has been characterized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is "dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society."

The SPLC is itself guilty of many of these puzzling leaps of logic, and has been asked about ANTIFA so many times that they finally included an answer in the FAQ:

The SPLC condemns violence in all its forms, including the violent acts of far-left street movements like Antifa (short for anti-fascist). But the propensity for violence, though present in many hate groups, is not among the criteria for listing. Also, Antifa groups do not promote hatred based on race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Associated Press is even nicer:

The counter-protesters were made up of a coalition of labor unions, immigrant rights advocates, democratic socialists and other groups.

This heroic band of rebels held "banners and signs with messages such as 'Alt right scum not welcome in Portland.' Some chanted 'Nazis go home.'"

Their goal, according to the Anti-Defamation League, is "to intimidate and dissuade racists, but the use of violent measures by some Antifa against their adversaries can create a vicious, self-defeating cycle of attacks, counter-attacks and blame. This is why most established civil rights organizations criticize Antifa tactics as dangerous and counterproductive."

Yet the Associated Press publishes a glowing review of them and their cause.

Yet the Associated Press publishes a glowing review of them and their cause. The only space in the article allotted to the "extreme-right demonstrators" comes literally at the end of the article, with mention of Joey Gibson, who organized the rally, noting that he disputed that the right-leaning crowd is part of a hate group.

He said:

We're here to promote freedom and God. That's it. Our country is getting soft.