It seems like tabloids and magazines aren’t the only ones concerned with just appearances. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has become the talk of the town after making an appearance at a military parade this week, looking a lot slimmer.
Of course, one of the first outlets to report on his new look and focus solely on that rather than his numerous human rights violations is Fox News. “He’s fit, he’s fun, and he’s fascist!” Rachel Campos-Duffy said on “Primetime.” She continued in what sounded like the commentary for a fashion show. “Take a look at Kim Jong Un flaunting his new tan and slim physique at the North Korean military parade.” She even showed images of the dictator, noting that “after this photo op, many might start calling him Slim Jong Un.”
The show’s guest Jimmy Failla, a comedian, said he didn’t buy it, to which Campos-Duffy argued he not only looked good but said: “I’m sorry, he looks better than our president!”
According to Human Rights Watch, North Korea is “among the world’s most repressive countries.”
A 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry found that the government committed violations amounting to crimes against humanity, including extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, rape, and forced abortions. North Korea operates secret prison camps where presumed government opponents face torture, forced labor, and starvation.
Various reports have been written on the human rights abuses committed by Kim Jong Un’s regime, including one by the United Nations calling the abuses “unspeakable atrocities.”
That Fox focused on his appearance instead of his list of violence was outrageous, but it didn’t come as a surprise given their reporting history and lack of focusing on the facts. What came as a bigger surprise is they were not the only ones.
Outlets across the country focused on Kim Jong Un’s appearance, including CBS News, Bloomberg, and the Associated Press.
And the biggest of all surprises— to me at least— CNN! “Shows off dramatic new weight loss” sounds like the headline of a magazine you’d find at the side of a grocery store cash register if you ask me.
Of course, the praise didn’t go unnoticed. Many chimed in on the comments, especially those by Campos-Duffy— focusing on his weight loss is one thing but comparing him to Joe Biden another.
The reactions on Twitter are endless, but while most are focusing on Fox News, some are questioning what the other outlets were thinking.
The question most Twitter users are asking is, how much are outlets getting paid or threatened for this coverage?