Media bias drives confusion, division, and distortion. On The Next Steps Show, Peter Vazquez and MRCTV’s Eric Scheiner break down how manipulated narratives, suppressed stories, and partisan reporting reshape America’s moral foundation—and why citizens must reclaim discernment, truth, and responsibility.
The noise was deafening—half-truths dressed as compassion, headlines lit to flatter the left and bruise the right. On this episode, Peter Vazquez sits down with Eric Scheiner, Senior Director of MRCTV, to chart the maze and torch the fog. Scheiner walks through MRCTV’s receipts: lopsided shutdown coverage that framed Republicans as saboteurs while ignoring inconvenient Democratic votes; glamour shots for socialist darlings and vanishing acts for stories that cut the other way. The pattern is not subtle. It is systemic.
From New York City’s new hard-left mayor to Virginia races the press refused to scrutinize, the lesson repeats: when narrative rules, facts starve. Abroad, the persecution of Christians in Nigeria barely registers unless a disfavored figure mentions it—then the story becomes the messenger, not the murdered. At home, the same instinct targets faith, family, and anyone stubborn enough to ask for evidence.
Callers weigh in—from the Marine Corps’ costly victories to libraries captured by ideology—reminding us that institutions follow the money and the courage of those who show up. Scheiner’s closing counsel is simple and stern: search for truth, speak it, and audit your tools, including AI trained to echo the usual suspects.
This is a call to discernment and duty: God, country, family. Peace through strength. Citizenship over spectatorship. The fog lifts when men and women of conviction light the way.
Promote your brand on the Next Steps Show, airing on WYSL1040.com's AM 1040, FM 92.1, and FM 95.5 West stations. Discover more at nextstepsroc.com/advertise-with-us or dial (585) 346-3000 to get in touch with the WYSL team.
Have you ever dreamt of sharing your unique voice, stories, or expertise with the world through a podcast? Perhaps you're bubbling with ideas but uncertain about where to begin? The journey from idea to launch can be daunting, but that's where we come in. Dive Into the World of Podcasting with Next Steps Radio PODCAST Network! Visit NextStepsRoc.com or call Peter at (585) 880-7580.
The Next Steps Show with Peter Vazquez
Guest: Eric Scheiner, Senior Director, MRCTV
Peter Vazquez (00:00.312)
This podcast is brought to you by Open Door Mission—restoring hope and changing lives. OpenDoorMission.com.
Peter Vazquez (00:11.842)
Mira la izquierda, mira la derecha—what do you see? Where are you? In a world that seems to change daily, what will you do next? Welcome to The Next Steps Show with Peter Vazquez—a starting point for discussion y un poco de dirección.
Peter Vazquez (00:32.655)
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to The Next Steps Show. I hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready for the next. It is always my honor to spend lunchtime with you, ladies and gentlemen. I hope that somewhere in your heart and in your thoughts, you have a little music going on—because with everything happening, all the nonsense, all the bamboozlement and straight-up lies used to manipulate culture—it makes you wonder. It makes you think sometimes: Should I have something else to fall back on?
I will tell you—God, country, and family. Put a little of that in your head, whether through música or good thoughts. That is what being Pina Americano is all about. Do not let the bamboozlers bamboozle you.
Have you noticed how the loudest voices in America’s media and culture have mastered one dark art—the art of confusion? They flood the nation with noise: half-truths and moral aversion, until families like yours and mine begin to doubt reality. You think, “Wait a minute, if these major outlets are saying this, it must be true.” Look at racism, for example. Imagine living in a county in New York or California that is 99.9 percent white, and hearing day after day how bad you are for that. It is absurd—but it is control.
They flood the nation with half-truths and moral inversion. That is why faith is treated as foolish. Freedom itself feels negotiable because of what we hear. We are confronting architects of confusion and profiteers of deception.
Here on The Next Steps Show, I like to highlight people who break this down. Without knowledge and dialogue, what do we have? Lies wear suits and look respectable. As the saying goes, Satan shows up with a smile. Propaganda parades as compassion—we see it every day.
But truth still has its defenders. We have hosted guests from the Media Research Center (MRC) and Project 21 before, organizations reclaiming moral clarity in a confused world. Today’s guest is one of them—a man who has spent decades exposing hypocrisy, dismantling media spin, and reclaiming the principles that built this nation. It is my honor to introduce the Honorable Eric Scheiner, Senior Director of MRCTV.
Peter Vazquez (03:52.054)
You will have to help me with your name—I always trip over pronunciations.
Eric Scheiner
It is Scheiner.
Peter Vazquez
Got it. I will blame it on the fact that I dropped out of school in ninth grade, a product of the Rochester City School District—one of the worst in New York State. Isn’t that insane? And to make it worse, the school board is among the ten highest paid in the nation.
Eric Scheiner
I bet a union had a lot to do with that.
Peter Vazquez
They usually do. A union poll probably said, “Look how great this school board is!”—after giving themselves raises and lowering standards. The media covers it like the next best thing since sliced bread while kids pick up guns because no one has given them purpose.
Eric, tell our listeners who you are and what you do.
Eric Scheiner
I am the Video Director at MRC. I run MRCTV, our video operation. We post clips, manage studios for TV appearances, and create social media content. Our focus is documenting media bias—proving it with evidence.
For example, if networks give 87 percent negative coverage to President Trump or cover one side of an issue, we show it. We produce videos demonstrating the imbalance. During the government shutdown coverage, for instance, 87 percent favored Democrats. Fewer than one in five reports even mentioned Senate Democrats’ refusal to pass a clean resolution. None mentioned that Democrats themselves had already voted to end the funding fight. The media instead painted Republicans as the villains.
The Affordable Care Act has been anything but affordable. It continually needs taxpayer money to survive. Yet the media ignores that reality and calls it compassion.
Peter Vazquez
That kind of selective reporting shapes culture. Media is at the heart of the war on truth.
Eric Scheiner
Exactly. Take the recent New York City mayoral election. The media glorified a candidate with anti-American rhetoric, making his words sound noble. They did the same in Virginia. A candidate for attorney general texted fantasies about shooting his opponent—and still, the press ignored it. They glamorize socialists and silence stories that hurt Democrats.
Look at Time magazine’s covers—compare their photos of leftist candidates to Donald Trump’s. One looks angelic, the other villainous. The bias is visual, not just verbal. Reporters want to be liked by Democratic elites. Many outlets, like NPR, openly admit they employ no conservatives.
Peter Vazquez
And that is why the MRC’s work is essential. You expose what the press refuses to.
Peter Vazquez (15:52.277)
Jeremiah 9:6 says, “Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me, saith the Lord.” We must pray for discernment—to see through the nonsense they try to feed us.
More than 7,000 Christians have been murdered and 7,800 abducted in Nigeria in 2025 alone. Since Boko Haram’s insurgency began in 2009, over 125,000 Christians have been killed. Yet U.S. media barely covers it—or denies the violence altogether.
Eric Scheiner
The question is whether the media dislikes Christians or simply hates Trump so much that when he mentions an atrocity, they attack it. CNN recently downplayed Nigerian persecution, saying, “Some Muslims die too.” Even if that is true, why dismiss Christian suffering? The media’s narrative paints Christians as oppressors, never victims. When Trump brings it up, they instantly oppose it.
Peter Vazquez
It mirrors how they treat election integrity—pretending problems do not exist by refusing to report them.
Online Listener Question
Has MRC noticed less liberal bias in PBS coverage since federal funding cuts?
Eric Scheiner
No. Their funding may change, but their agenda does not. PBS remains a liberal mouthpiece, promoting one perspective while ignoring others.
Caller Gary
The media is part of a global plan to bring America down. How do we break the stranglehold?
Eric Scheiner
Truth always prevails, but only if people are willing to seek and share it. Remember—AI systems like ChatGPT pull data from biased outlets such as The New York Times and MSNBC. That means the next frontier of media bias is artificial intelligence. At MRC, we are investigating those pipelines.
Peter Vazquez (24:49.21)
Psalm 94:16 says, “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?” Stand up for truth, ladies and gentlemen.
Peter Vazquez (27:55.868)
Happy 250th birthday to the United States Marine Corps—Semper Fidelis, always faithful. The Marines were founded in 1775, even before our nation’s independence. They have lived up to their motto through every battle, from Nassau to Iwo Jima to Fallujah.
When you see a Marine today, do not just say “Happy Birthday.” Shake their hand. Their strength is why we enjoy peace. And peace through strength is a biblical principle—nowhere in Scripture does it say to lay down your weapons, only to defend righteousness and stand ready.
Caller Keith (34:28.608)
Remember the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, 50 years ago today—29 souls lost. And on Iwo Jima, nearly 7,000 Marines died. The Navy learned too late that the island needed more bombardment before the invasion. Those lives were precious.
Peter Vazquez
Thank you, Keith. Holding true to our values is how we honor them.
Caller Ellen (36:39.194)
People should know the American Library Association (ALA) pushes the 2030 Agenda and sexualized content under the label of inclusivity. Christian groups cannot even rent meeting rooms.
Peter Vazquez
So Christian groups cannot rent rooms, but children can access any book? That is persecution of faith.
Ellen
Exactly. They even plan an event mocking parents who object to these books.
Peter Vazquez
Thank you, Ellen. This is modern persecution, just like abroad. Look up the ALA and see what they promote.
Peter Vazquez (40:59.591)
Welcome back. Thank you again to our sponsors—Flower City Collision and Youth for Christ Rochester. To all Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and the Space Force—thank you.
When people forget how to tell truth from theater, tyranny does not need chains—it only needs applause. The question is no longer who holds power, but who has the courage to see through the illusion. Could that be you?
Short-term affordability versus long-term security—that is our national tension. You cannot have cheap goods and freedom at the same time. Venezuela learned that. Even here, WXXI says it will “reinvent” itself after federal cuts—but donations are already up seven percent. That is what Trump means when he says citizens, not government, should sustain institutions.
Libraries, schools, local stations—they survive on tax dollars or donations. If you want independence, fund them yourself. Get involved. It is not about which library we have—it is about which future we build.
Look at Monroe County. The County Executive proposed a $1.5 billion budget with tax cuts before the election, while blaming federal cuts for rising costs. Classic bamboozlement.
As I said before, the question is no longer who controls power but who has the courage to see through illusion. Be a leader. Stand firm in God, country, and family.
God bless the United States of America. Do not let a second go by without being a voice for libertad.
