By Tatiana Prophet

The truth is bad enough. It doesn’t need embellishment. That’s why we’re taking a look at how reporting has changed about the Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021, and what we now know.

We’ve all seen the videos and photos, especially of the violent entry by some of the participants, and most noticeably, the man who pinned a police officer with a riot shield, causing the officer to cry for help. We know that the day spiraled into bedlam and chaos. We know the police were not adequately supported; and we also know that there were certain individuals with a history of inciting violence who were not Trump supporters, doing that very thing on that day. And we also know that the American public was shaken by these images and events. It felt like a violation to all of us. Metro Police Department chief Robert Contee reported that 56 officers were injured in the day’s events.

Initial reporting, and for many months after the event, repeatedly called the event “deadly” and an “insurrection,” even before it was over. T