Controversial Air Force Colonel Gets a Media Makeoverg

Within the span of a few days this week, two award-winning journalists penned fawning articles about an Air Force colonel whose promotion to brigadier general is in jeopardy.

Coincidence?

Casual readers, who know nothing about Col. Ben Jonsson other than what The Washington Post and Military.com reported, likely would conclude that he deserves the promotion.

Of course, both publications told only part of the story—a classic case of media bias by omission.

Daily Signal readers may recall a series of stories last year about Jonsson’s radical views on race and scathing internal assessments of his leadership at MacDill Air Force Base and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

At the time, he was one of hundreds of military officers whose promotions were blocked by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., in a standoff with the Biden administration over the Pentagon’s abortion policy. The Senate eventually approved those promotions in December, except for Jonsson, whose promotion now is being held by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.

Nearly three months passed without any mention of Jonsson in news stories—until this week. That’s when Rebecca Kheel at Military.com and Joe Davidson at The Washington Post took aim at Schmitt for blocking Jonsson’s promotion.

“A Promising Air Force Officer Took a Stand Against Racism. Now, His Career Is in Political Jeopardy,” read Military.com’s headline Tuesday afternoon.

“A colonel promoted diversity. So a GOP senator is blocking his promotion,” The Washington Post added Thursday morning.

Their stories follow a similar pattern:

• The Air Force Times publishes Jonsson’s op-ed, headlined “Dear white colonel … we must address our blind spots around race,” after George Floyd’s death in police custody in 2020.
• Jonsson is courageous for fighting “institutional racism.”
• Former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson comes to Jonsson’s defense, offering praise and admiration for him.
• The Post’s article calls Jonsson a “devout Christian devoted to his biracial family,” while Military.com’s story describes him as “a man of deep Christian faith.”
• He’s “absolutely qualified” and being unfairly blocked by a Republican senator.

Both stories appeared within days of NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson’s March 1 letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., calling on Schmitt to release his hold on Jonsson’s promotion.

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