OPINION:
There’s plenty to be disturbed about when it comes to some media outlets’ dismissive — and damaging — reactions to the sleeper summer film hit “The Sound of Freedom.”
But beyond warranted complaints over the unfairness and typical progressive media mumbo-jumbo, there’s a tragic component of the overt attempts to malign the movie as “QAnon-adjacent” — and it could very literally squander a rare opportunity and cost lives.
Anyone who has covered the issue of human trafficking knows the difficulties that come with telling such heart-wrenching stories. Modern day slavery is raging around the globe, yet the painful patterns and plights are so horrific, many have a guttural instinct to simply look away.
There have been a plethora of movies and projects aimed at exposing the topic, yet none has resonated so pertinently as “The Sound of Freedom,” a film that shocked Hollywood when it became the No. 1 movie in America on July 4, surpassing beloved legacy film “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
Actor Jim Caviezel portrays former federal agent Tim Ballard, a man who saves a boy from child traffickers and goes on a harrowing and dangerous mission to find the child’s sister. It’s a film that “exposes the darkness of child trafficking,” according to distributor Angel Studies.
And that darkness is tragically very real. The State Department has extensively detailed the horrors of modern-day slavery, noting adults and children alike are forced into labor and sex work, with unimaginable suffering for those trapped in the bowels of demoniacal terror.
SEE ALSO: The ‘Sound of Freedom’ stuns Hollywood
While definitive numbers on human trafficking are difficult to come by, the “Global Estimates of Modern Slavery” report released in September 2022 offered a staggering estimate, finding about 27.6 million people in “forced labor.”
The sobering report also found, “17.3 million are exploited in the private sector, 6.3 million in forced commercial sexual exploitation, and 3.9 million in forced [labor] imposed by state.”
The topic of children, in particular, is stomach-churning, with the report finding “a total of 1.7 million children are in commercial sexual exploitation, constituting over half of all children in forced [labor].”
Overall, “3.3 million children are in situations of forced [labor] on any given day,” including government-imposed work and other forced labor situations. According to the nonprofit Save the Children, 27% of all trafficking victims are children.
Story after story recounts the human face of these staggering statistics. One woman, Karla, told CNN her story of becoming a trafficking victim when she was just 12 years old. She was reportedly raped 43,200 times by up to 30 men a day for around four years.
“Some men would laugh at me because I was crying,” she said. “I had to close my eyes so that I wouldn’t see what they were doing to me, so that I wouldn’t feel anything.”
Karla and millions like her have faced this absolute evil, a hellfire that should ignite fury and an unceasing mission to end such abominations at all costs. And that brings me back to the main concern over some media outlets’ handling of “The Sound of Freedom.”
With excruciating statistics and stories embedded in a topic that often fails to get the traction needed to spark change, one would expect elation and a seizure of the film’s success to eclipse any political mantras.
Just consider: For what could be the first time, millions of eyes are on human trafficking. People around the U.S. are seeing the disgusting and dreadful situation for what it truly is because of Mr. Ballard’s powerful story — a quest with the sway to catapult people to action and save lives.
But some media seemingly missed that memo. The Washington Post went with this headline: “‘Sound of Freedom’ is a box office hit whose star embraces QAnon.” The Guardian one-upped the insanity with this one: “Sound of Freedom: the QAnon-adjacent thriller seducing America.”
Oh, and no one could look past Rolling Stone’s gem: “‘Sound Of Freedom’ Is a Superhero Movie for Dads With Brainworms.” The teaser for the Rolling Stone story really wanted to make sure people understood what they were about to read: “The QAnon-tinged thriller about child trafficking is designed to appeal to the conscience of a conspiracy-addled boomer.”
Not only do these headlines discourage people from watching “The Sound of Freedom,” but they go even further, trying to connect the movie to the fringes, focusing on Mr. Caviezel’s past comments and debates over Mr. Ballard to try to diminish the film’s mission.
But the truth is that Mr. Caviezel’s past proclamations and the tactical disagreements over Mr. Ballard’s procedures have little to do with the aim and quest behind “The Sound of Freedom.” Plus, anyone who’s actually seen the movie knows there’s nothing “QAnon” about it.
Regardless of what people believe about Mr. Caviezel, Mr. Ballard — arguably a hero by many accounts — or anyone else, the film is shedding light on a topic desperately in need of attention. Rather than embrace that reality, some are seemingly so blinded by politics and an opportunity to poke back that they’ve gone out of their way to squander a life-saving opportunity.
And that’s the real tragedy of these headlines. People should be shedding light on this issue, educating the masses and sparking change. Instead, it’s just another day in the progressive media abyss.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Hallowell is the author of four books.
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