Liberal cable networks CNN and MSNBC have been citing fabricated statistics in an try and debunk President Trump’s claims on Monday about rampant crime in Washington, D.C. Over the previous 24 hours, these two networks have cited the doubtful statistics over 70 occasions, whereas refusing to acknowledge {that a} D.C. police official was suspended for tampering with these stats simply months in the past.
Abstract of findings:
- Over 24 hours, CNN and MSNBC cited manipulated D.C. crime statistics 73 occasions.
- Conservative CNN contributor Scott Jennings was the one particular person on both community to say {that a} police commander was suspended for allegedly falsifying these statistics.
- Throughout each networks, January 6, 2021 was introduced up 31 occasions.
In Mid-may, D.C. police commander Michael Pulliam was placed on administrative depart after the police union accused his division of deliberately manipulating crime information. As Paul Wagner at NBC Information Washington defined: “The union claims police supervisors within the division manipulate crime information to make it seem violent crime has fallen significantly in comparison with final yr.”
However since Monday, CNN and MSNBC have repeatedly cited these contaminated information, in response to President Trump introduced that the federal authorities can be assuming management of policing within the District.
MRC analysts examined the primary 24 hours of normal weekday protection on CNN and MSNBC after Trump’s Monday announcement, from 11:00 a.m. on August 11 to 10:59 a.m. on August 12. Analysts recognized 73 cases by which anchors, company, and reporters cited the manipulated crime statistics for which Pulliam was suspended. MSNBC was answerable for 44 such cases, whereas CNN aired the remaining 29.
The one particular person on both community who acknowledged the doubtful origin of the info was conservative CNN contributor Scott Jennings, throughout a panel dialogue within the 10:00 p.m. hour on August 11.
However whereas Pulliam’s alleged malfeasance was almost solely absent from the protection, speaking heads had been keen to say one other matter of their dialogue of crime in Washington: January 6. TV journalists managed to convey up the unrest on the U.S. Capitol 4 years in the past a whopping 31 occasions (17 on MSNBC, 14 on CNN).
Along with citing bogus statistics and opining about January 6, panelists additionally speculated wildly about whether or not President Trump had ulterior motives:
One well-liked concept pushed by MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, MSNBC contributor Eddie Glaude, amongst others, was that the President hoped to “distract” People and the media from Jeffrey Epstein. As CNN media critic Brian Stelter defined on Tuesday:
There have been plenty of folks yesterday saying, “Hey, is that this a distraction? Is Trump making an attempt to distract from the Epstein scandal?” Effectively, right here’s the extra attention-grabbing — right here’s the higher query: is it working or not? And I’m right here to inform you, sure, it’s working. If this was working, sure, it’s succeeding.
One other concept was that Trump had been motivated primarily by racism. Shortly after the President’s announcement on August 11, CNN nationwide politics correspondent Eva McKend remarked: “He has all the time felt that American cities, particularly this with giant black populations, like Washington, D.C., are crime-ridden.”
And nonetheless others, corresponding to MSNBC host Symone Sanders and MSNBC contributor Barbara McQuade, surmised on Morning Joe that Trump’s declaration was part of a bigger “energy seize.”
As of this piece’s publishing, each CNN and MSNBC haven’t backed away from the manipulated crime statistics for which Pulliam was suspended, and Jennings stays the one particular person on both community who has even alluded to the scandal’s existence.
