President Trump and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have more than terrible trade policies in common. They believe the press bears some blame for the two mass shooting events this weekend.
A gunman killed 20 people at a Walmart on Saturday in El Paso, Texas. Early Sunday morning, another gunman killed nine people in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Both attacks injured dozens of people. Activist Leah Greenberg of Indivisible Guide blamed Fox News for the attack in El Paso.
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“Let’s all be really clear on this: The shooting in El Paso was a terrorist attack targeting Latinx people,” she said on social media. “It was spurred by the same white nationalist ideology that is promoted by the President of the United States and mainstreamed by Fox News.”
The Massachusetts senator running for president liked what she heard.
“We need to call it out: Fox News is a hate-for-profit machine that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists,” said Warren. The implication is clear: Fox News bears some blame for an attack that claimed the lives of several Hispanics.
We need to call it out: Fox News is a hate-for-profit machine that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists. https://t.co/f1QkIE7sbB
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) August 4, 2019
On Monday, Trump claimed the “fake news” media is to blame for what happened this weekend in El Paso and Dayton. This is two sides of the same coin.
“The Media has a big responsibility to life and safety in our Country. Fake News has contributed greatly to the anger and rage that has built up over many years,” the president tweeted. “News coverage has got to start being fair, balanced and unbiased, or these terrible problems will only get worse!”
The Media has a big responsibility to life and safety in our Country. Fake News has contributed greatly to the anger and rage that has built up over many years. News coverage has got to start being fair, balanced and unbiased, or these terrible problems will only get worse!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2019
Finally! An issue on which both Trump and Warren agree. Too bad they are both wrong.
The news media has many, terrible faults. It can be sloppy, biased, and irresponsible. Its many members can be even malicious and cruel. But as Trump is not responsible for mass shootings, neither is the press. Those responsible for these events are the shooters themselves. No one else. People are responsible for the things they do. Not organizations; not anyone else. .
There is also the issue that blaming newsrooms for mass shootings is an attack on free speech. Words are important. Our leaders and newsrooms hold a great deal of power in this way, as words can inspire, advocate, or tear down. But we are going to go about this all wrong if we are to believe rhetoric is to blame for real-life violence. To believe this would be to believe that there ought to be legal restrictions on types of speech.
This points back to the bigger problem of spreading the blame for a criminal’s actions. Do not blame tragedy on the things public officials say. Do not take away the shooter’s agency to score political points. Do not let bad people off the hook by claiming the real culprit is something said by a third party. Do not free the criminal from the crime.
