Early this morning, CNN posted an article on the Dayton shooter. The article mentioned, among other things, his apparent leftist politics.
CNN's team reports: A Twitter account that appears to belong to the Dayton mass shooter "retweeted extreme left-wing and anti-police posts, as well as tweets supporting Antifa…"https://t.co/hq9RAWoupL
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 6, 2019
Attempts to equate the El Paso and Dayton killers are ramping up. Key fact: Authorities have not said that the Dayton attack was politically motivated in any way, nor have they described it as a domestic terrorism case.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 6, 2019
The headline actually focused on his politics:
Kellyanne Conway was among those who shared CNN’s report:
Dayton shooting: Shooter appeared to have leftist Twitter feed – CNN https://t.co/9t3ZpZ5yfA
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) August 6, 2019
Well, we all know that we can’t have that. The Daily Beast’s Sam Stein called Conway out:
And there it is https://t.co/yBzKjo3tS8
— Sam Stein (@samstein) August 6, 2019
There what is, Sam?
Me sharing @CNN story without comment bothers you, @samstein?
Excerpts from @CNN:
“A Twitter account that appears to belong to Dayton mass shooter Connor Betts retweeted extreme left-wing & anti-police posts, as well as tweets supporting Antifa, or anti-facist, protestors.” https://t.co/QHoHPIXVW5
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) August 6, 2019
It’s not just Sam Stein who’s bothered. It’s also NBC News’ Brandy Zadrozny:
Everyone has personal politics. Not all mass shootings are politically motivated. (Most are domestic violence.) It’s beyond irresponsible to use the Dayton shooter’s lefty Twitter to assign a political motive. The far right would like to equate Dayton to El Paso. Don’t let them.
— Brandy Zadrozny (@BrandyZadrozny) August 6, 2019
Business Insider’s John Haltiwanger:
Then why is CNN reporting on the gunman’s alleged political convictions? https://t.co/s8YFm9tAcp
— John Haltiwanger (@jchaltiwanger) August 6, 2019
WaPo’s Philip Bump:
https://twitter.com/pbump/status/1158717636240400385
The Daily Beast’s Justin Miller:
CNN recklessly speculates the Dayton shooter may have been politically motivated. The shooter's tweets or politics have zero relevancy so far because he killed indiscriminately. https://t.co/nROLRcURVt
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) August 6, 2019
Had the Dayton shooter targeted a GOP event, then there would be reason to suspect a political motivation, such as him apparently supporting the left. But he didn't. Instead, CNN and others throw everything at the wall, no matter how tenuous.
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) August 6, 2019
So CNN here basically turned Dayton into a terrorist attack, obscuring the actual terrorist attack in El Paso, where the perpetrator wrote in his own hand he was acting to advance a political agenda. Both sides!
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) August 6, 2019
Right-wing ghouls immediately seized on the Dayton killer's Twitter account in the hours after and used it to harass, even blame, journalists he followed who cover the far-right. That was pumped into the mainstream and a day later, CNN ate it up.
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) August 6, 2019
CNN does invaluable work, especially during breaking news and should know better than to treat anything in a person's life as evidence, let alone proof, of motive.
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) August 6, 2019
Full circle: hyperpartisans blame Dayton on the left, CNN boosts it, White House endorses https://t.co/QKBMQkxSYc
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) August 6, 2019
No doubt there are plenty more where that came from. There would have to be. Otherwise people might think that some lefties aren’t peace-loving saints.
Hey guys, Justin’s back. pic.twitter.com/eOB9cnKntm
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) August 6, 2019
INBOX: pic.twitter.com/N5sjSktdEZ
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) August 6, 2019
You guys are in full defense.
— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) August 6, 2019
Avengers Assemble! pic.twitter.com/V2VzWLGkmg
— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) August 6, 2019
So every blue check is tweeting out this same thing, I guess the Listserv decided on this and is implementing it. https://t.co/xGt5kpKttt
— Ben (@BenK84) August 6, 2019
Slack channels must look like a blinking christmas tree this morning.
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) August 6, 2019
talking points are out apparently https://t.co/xLicrUAPdL
— Dr. Richard Harambe (@Richard_Harambe) August 6, 2019
And how.
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) August 6, 2019
Nowhere does the story say he was motivated by politics. It’s factual accounting of his social media footprint which you simply find inconvenient & you’re throwing a hissy fit over it. https://t.co/q3IWKAqCKY
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) August 6, 2019
Justin is the guy who pointed out an iron cross pin on a shooter’s coat and ignored the hammer and sickle pin right next to it. Good to have him back tho.
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) August 6, 2019
Everything in this is a fact. It happened, and Justin and his gang are upset about it. These are not journalists. Not in any way. pic.twitter.com/UmIXEGuBdO
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) August 6, 2019
I’m sure Justin & Daily Beast would ignore a mass shooter’s twitter account if he had retweets of Mike Cernovich and Dave Rubin or Proud Boys all over it and not run a single story about it.
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) August 6, 2019
Daily Beast’s entire MO is when a mass shooting happens, go after the twitter accounts or Instagram accounts to find out the shooter’s politics. But not this time I guess.
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) August 6, 2019
"It's different when it's MY team" https://t.co/gwerc6BuvD
— [shrug emoji] (@jtLOL) August 6, 2019
Media moved so fast on El Paso and they were ABSOLUTELY HOPING (we all know it) the Dayton shooter was similarly motivated.
Turns out he wasn’t, so:
First, they emphasized El Paso, barely mentioning Dayton.
Next, solely focusing on El Paso and ignoring Dayton.
Now, this ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/z4KT3wQqB4
— Meech (@michi83) August 6, 2019
Ironic that you dismiss before the investigators are even ready to do that. Also beyond irresponsible. Motivated reasoning is one helluva drug.
— Jason Hamby (@IPAzRGR8) August 6, 2019
"White males are dangerous, angry, and entitled and that is why they keep shooting people."
*shooter is leftist*
"We don't have a motive."
— Confirmed Miscer (@ManDaveJobGood) August 6, 2019
"Actually the Elizabeth Warren and Bernie supporters that do mass shootings aren't to blame, Trump is." – Journalism 2019
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) August 6, 2019
Something tells me if a dude committed a mass shooting but left no manifesto and no motive, but journalists found an instagram picture of him wearing a MAGA hat, they wouldn't be doing backflips to excuse it away.
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) August 6, 2019
Can anyone imagine media types making the claim that we shouldn't jump to conclusions over the intentions of a Nazi masshooter who supported Republicans?
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) August 6, 2019
"When I do it, I'm a firefighter. When you do it, you're a hyperpartisan" https://t.co/VRyqqeAtHy
— [shrug emoji] (@jtLOL) August 6, 2019
— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) August 6, 2019
This is the first shooting I've seen in recent history where and entire swarm of journalists suddenly aren't interested in the shooter's social media history. Wonder why that is. https://t.co/jLv6mGaJx7
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) August 6, 2019
weird how the media's "nut picking" is one sided.
— Dr. Richard Harambe (@Richard_Harambe) August 6, 2019
Keep up the good work, Truth Guardians! Keep it up and maybe CNN will rewrite their headline. Better yet, rewrite their whole article!
The double standard is crazy.
They tried to make the Congressional shooter a conservative… Because he owned a single book.
Even though there was reams of evidence that he was a liberal. https://t.co/UZ1SnNjhF2
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) August 6, 2019
We can see your bias in real time … do you not realize this??? https://t.co/1fgbUe0FDd
— Christian Toto (@HollywoodInToto) August 6, 2019
Here we go. This is the whitewash on Dayton. The politics of a killer only matter to the media when it fits their narrative. Absolute naked bias on full display folks. https://t.co/lM1hv3ffsg
— Meech (@michi83) August 6, 2019
It will never not be weird to watch reporters use Twitter to publicly demand other reporters all skew coverage in a particular political direction. Imagine what newsrooms must be like, where you don't have to worry about saying the quiet part out loud. https://t.co/DkkEpspJrG
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) August 6, 2019
They did it.
They found a way to ignore that the Dayton shooter was a radical Antifa terrorist.
The agenda is saved!
— RBe (@RBPundit) August 6, 2019
We saw it happen in real time.
I can just imagine the flurry of emails that have been going back and forth the last two days.
Say it with me folks.
Media is the enemy of truth.
— RBe (@RBPundit) August 6, 2019
I didn’t expect media to ADMIT they’re bias so openly. I’m honestly shocked by this.
But I’d like to thank them for proving everything I’ve ever said of them.
— RBe (@RBPundit) August 6, 2019
And now you see why media is to blame for this.
When people see this kind of corrupt bias they no longer have faith that there’s someone “looking out” for them. Someone calling the balls and strikes fairly.
It creates mistrust.
It isolates people.
— RBe (@RBPundit) August 6, 2019
You couple that with the idea that life is disposable from the moment of conception and it’s a powder keg.
These losers who become mass murderers believe in “their truth.” Because they’ve been taught that “their truth” is all that matters.
— RBe (@RBPundit) August 6, 2019
If media can shape narratives towards an agenda for political purposes and get away with it, why shouldn’t these nutjobs feel the same?
There’s no black and white. There’s only “my truth.”
So these losers think they can go around killing people.
— RBe (@RBPundit) August 6, 2019
Great job, firefighters. As usual.
The talking points went out this morning, all the media is on the same page: ignore the politics of the Dayton shooter because he was a Leftist.
This is why Trump will win in 2020, the media cannot help but he dishonest to the point where they will be irrelevant. https://t.co/lLVwo8zKWY
— Meech (@michi83) August 6, 2019
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with an additional tweet.
***
Update:
‘Dude, take the L’: Daily Beast editor takes massive rake to the face after trying to whitewash Dayton shooter’s apparent far-leftism https://t.co/QkAQlmyj78
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 6, 2019