Journalist admits he perpetuated a lie with ‘hands up, don’t shoot’: I was wrong

The revelations brought to light by the Justice Department’s investigations into the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., prompted a liberal journalist to write an online confession Monday that he had been wrong.

Johnathan Capehart’s Washington Post piece was titled, “Hands up, don’t shoot was built on a lie.

The DOJ report released in early March exonerated former Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson of civil rights violations, and stated what many commentators on the right were already saying as the case unfolded – that the evidence showed Brown did not have his hands up in the air when Wilson shot him.

Yet, directly after the shooting, a media avalanche irresponsibly carried the false narrative that Brown was surrendering to Wilson when he was shot. Media propaganda perpetuated the “hands up don’t shoot” mantra that became the rallying cry for protests throughout the country.

Capehart himself made a statement on MSNBC the morning after the shooting that helped spread the lie and fuel the movement that at times has become violent.

Now that the DOJ report has shed light on what really happened, Capehart has changed his tune.

“But this month, the Justice Department released two must-read investigations connected to the killing of Brown that filled in blanks, corrected the record and brought sunlight to dark places by revealing ugly practices that institutionalized racism and hardship.

“They have also forced me to deal with two uncomfortable truths: Brown never surrendered with his hands up, and Wilson was justified in shooting Brown.”

Although Capehart felt forced to eat some humble pie, he said he still encourages the “Black Lives Matter” movement to march on, but called Michael Brown an “inappropriate symbol” for the movement.

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