CNN has been widely ridiculed for a tweet which seemed to deflect blame for the Waukesha ramming attack from the driver to the car itself.
By World Israel News staff
CNN was taken to task on social media Sunday for a post which made it seem a car was responsible for the massacre at Waukesha Christmas parade.
Six were killed, including an eight year old boy, and more than 60 injured when a man drove an SUV through the Christmas parade on November 21. According to apparently braking and zigzagging the car to target as many as possible.
But a week on, as Waukesha residents gathered to remember the victims, CNN tweeted: “Waukesha will hold a moment of silence today, marking one week since a car drove through a city Christmas parade, killing six people and injuring scores of others.”
The tweet immediately drew criticism and ridicule from others asking how it was possible for a car to carry out a deadly criminal attack.
Some used humor to ridicule CNN, such as New York Post writer Jon Levine, who tweeted sarcastically “Has this car been arrested yet?”, while former New York Times writer Nellie Bowles joked “Someone (Joe Rogan?) is radicalizing cars.”
The CEO of conservative satire outlet Babylon Bee, Seth Dillon likewise tweeted sarcastically: “We need answers from the manufacturer of this car. And we need laws that permit us to charge vehicles with a crime.”
His outlet later ran a satirical article headlined “Waukesha SUV Charged With Six Counts Of Murder,” The article taunted: “The 2010 Ford Escape crossover SUV that killed six people and injured many others during a Christmas parade last week on its own accord without the input of any human being whatsoever was charged with six counts of murder, sources confirmed over the weekend.”
Others, however, were scathing over CNN’s lack of journalistic integrity.
Florida political candidate Martha Bueno raged: “You all know @CNN is a political hack, but seriously, a ‘CAR DROVE THROUGH A PARADE?!’ Who writes for CNN? Obviously it’s someone who’s scared to call the murder of 6 what it really is: An act of domestic terrorism. Please hire actual journalists CNN.”
California congressional candidate Buzz Patterson was equally dismissive, tweeting: “A ‘car’ did this? Not a human being with intent to kill and maim and being held on $5 million bail? You guys are a joke.”
Conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza pointed out CNN’s hypocrisy, tweeting: “Not a ‘black leftist who supports BLM and vilifies white people.’ No, this CNN headline insists it was the ‘car’ that drove through the parade. Now imagine how CNN would frame this if the perpetrator happened to be white.”
While photojournalist Ford Fischer commented: “These sorts of headlines are where distrust of mainstream media come from. A car didn’t kill six people, a person did. They used a car to do it. People commit actions. Tools are just tools.”
The tweet linked through to an article, which itself failed to mention the suspect, named by authorities as Daryll E Brooks, until the final paragraph. Additionally, no mention was made in the article of a potential motive for the crime.
Last week independent journalist Andy Ngo revealed that, before they were taken down, Brook’s social media accounts were peppered with antisemitic, anti-white, and black nationalist statements dating back years. He is also a registered sex offender.
Among Brook’s posts were claims that the “true” Jews are black people, and that America moved “false white Jews” into the State of Israel in a bid to conquer the world.
Ngo was heavily criticized by mainstream media for his act of journalism.