Media push narrative that patriotism is 'adjacent to something evil,' analysts say

In the immediate months and years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, surveys revealed a surge in patriotism among Americans of all stripes. But that trend has steadily decreased in the 20 years since, and a clear partisan gap has emerged, with far fewer Democrats and independents identifying themselves as proudly patriotic than Republicans.

"We’ve seen on multiple occasions major news outlets share their feelings and opinions in making patriotic symbols and demonstrations a divisive political issue," Fox News contributor Joe Concha said. "The New York Times just this summer had a writer named Mara Gay who declared that she found it ‘disturbing’ there were so many flags she had to witness on lawns and trucks. Disturbing."

"The same New York Times that not too long ago asked if the Star Spangled Banner and National Anthem were racist. The same New York Times that is defending Olympian Gwen Berry - who turned away from the National Anthem in calling the playing of it a ‘set up.' This is not the paper of record. It’s an extension of the DNC,'" he added, likening the paper to the party that tends to trend lower in American pride than its Republican counterparts.