CNN calls Black mass shooting suspect ‘possibly White’
CNN is under fire for referring to a Black shooting suspect as “possibly White” during its report.
Shane Temura, a 27-year-old Black man, walked into a building at 345 Park Avenue in New York City on Monday carrying a Palmetto State Armory AR-15 rifle. He opened fire, killing an NYPD cop and three others, before killing himself.
When first reporting the mass shooting, before Temura had been identified, journalist John Miller told CNN host Erin Burnett that Temura was “possibly White.” Moments later, Burnett repeated Miller’s description of Temura as “sunglasses, mustache, male, possibly White.”
The false presumption is consistent with the legacy media’s anti-White bias, specifically when it comes to crime. An analysis by the Washington Free Beacon found that news outlets tend to downplay the race of non-White suspects, mentioning their race later in the story or not at all, while being three to four times more likely to mention the race if the suspect is White.
Sometimes, legacy media companies refuse to report on crimes altogether if the suspect is Black and the victim is White. Over the weekend, for example, a White couple was brutally attacked by a mob of Black assailants in front of approximately 100 witnesses. Although video footage of the crime went viral on social media, the incident went unreported by mainstream news outlets.
Outrage
CNN’s initial depiction of Shane Temura as “possibly White” sparked widespread criticism on social media.
“Gee, it's almost like they have an agenda,” commented Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
“They said ‘possibly white,’ they meant ‘hopefully white.’ It’ll be memory holed by tomorrow,” wrote another netizen.
“Everyone knows that CNN would’ve doxxed this whole guys life if it was a white guy but since it’s not a white guy, now they’re gonna act like nothing happened,” commented Florida GOP strategist Zachary Heron.
Another user called for the network’s license to be revoked. “When @CNN tells viewers that the shooter is a ‘WHITE' guy even after the WORLD can see the picture of the shooter and they stick to it, it's time to pull broadcasting licenses. CNN is purposely lying to the American people. They no longer serve the public interest. It's actually dangerous.”
