Experts Have Been Against This Parenting Choice For Decades. So Why Is Markwayne Mullin Bragging About Doing It?

HuffPost's article resurfaces 2023 comments by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on spanking his children, framing them as out-of-step with expert consensus while using selective emphasis on child distress to portray the practice negatively. It accurately transcribes key quotes but overstates scientific unanimity and omits key context on legality and prevalence.

Key Techniques and Evidence

• Loaded framing via headline and selective quoting: The title calls Mullin's remarks "Bragging About Doing It," implying boastfulness, and dwells on his daughter's pleas ("No, Daddy! No!"). This truncates his full anecdote of post-spanking hugs ("they'll come and crawl on my lap two minutes later and just hug on me") and her positive outcome ("she's a good kid now"), shared to applause from a conservative audience.

"No, Daddy. No, Daddy. No, Daddy! No! I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m sorry, Dad"

• Overstated expert consensus: Claims "Experts Have Been Against This Parenting Choice For Decades," citing AAP and WHO, presenting opposition as "cut and dry." This implies settled science without noting debate.
• Evidence: Meta-analyses like Ferguson (2013) report trivial associations (r=0.07-0.11); Larzelere (2024) finds small effects (β=0.08). A 2016 APA survey showed a majority viewed occasional spanking as non-problematic.

• One-sided sourcing: Quotes only anti-spanking voices (e.g., WHO's Etienne Krug, clinicians Fiona Yassin and Puls) without counter-experts like Larzelere or Ferguson, creating an impression of uniform agreement.

The piece does well in verifying the primary source—Mullin's October 2023 City Elders speech video—and providing direct transcripts, avoiding fabrication.

Verifiable Omissions and Impact

These gaps alter reader perception without contradicting the article's core facts:

• Legality: Parental spanking remains legal in all 50 U.S. states (per legal summaries from EndCorporalPunishment.org).
• Prevalence: 37% of U.S. children aged 0-17 experienced it in the past year (2014 UNH Crimes Against Children Research Center survey, n=4,000).
• Why it matters: Frames a common, protected practice as fringe or aberrant, shifting view from mainstream parenting choice to outlier.

No mention that coverage is limited to left-leaning outlets post-DHS nomination, with zero hits on Fox News or Daily Wire searches.

Author and Source Context

Author unknown; HuffPost has a documented left-leaning bias (e.g., AllSides rates it "Left"), often framing conservative figures critically. Mullin's comments are firsthand from a verifiable public video at a partisan event.

Coverage Differences

Other outlets vary in tone and emphasis:

• People Magazine (center/mainstream): More neutral, includes full hugs anecdote and Mullin's positive framing as "touting tough parenting," adds Senate context.
• The Independent (left-UK): Similar "bragging" language, stresses child begging and belt threat, ties to DHS without experts.
• Hindustan Times (international): Most sensational ("beating children," "'bend over for me'"), amplifies emotional pleas and family details.
• Daily Beast (left): Downplays spanking details, links to "violent threat" and Christian nationalism concerns.

HuffPost's expert focus stands out, but all lean negative except People.

Bottom line: Strong on sourcing the video and real org positions like AAP's longstanding opposition, making it informative for anti-spanking readers. Weaknesses in consensus portrayal and omissions inflate controversy around a legally common practice, reducing balance on a debated topic.**

Further Reading

• People Magazine: Markwayne Mullin Recalled Kids' Spankings
• The Independent: Kristi Noem, Markwayne Mullin Spanking Kids
• Hindustan Times: DHS Head Markwayne Mullin Old Video on Beating Children
• Daily Beast: Trump's ICE Cowboy Admits Making Violent Threat to Teenager

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