- The Washington Times - Tuesday, August 6, 2019

A veteran media observer is vexed with CNN, which will stage a live town hall event Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET titled “America Under Assault: The Gun Crisis,” staged in El Paso, Texas — site of one of two mass shootings that occurred in the U.S. just days ago.

Anchor Chris Cuomo will moderate the event.

“I’m calling on all public officials to boycott CNN’s disgraceful town hall in El Paso tomorrow night,” Brent Bozell, founder of the Media Research Center, said Tuesday. “It’s nothing more than a partisan political ratings stunt, and it dishonors the victims and their families. We saw how CNN’s town hall following the shooting in Parkland, Florida, last year turned into a left-wing anti-gun political rally. There are no indications this event won’t be more of the same.

“CNN’s shameless move to politicize this tragedy for ratings is disgraceful,” he said. “Families are still burying their loved ones. If there is a ’gun crisis,’ why aren’t they conducting town halls in Chicago or Baltimore?”

Other critics have also weighed in.

“I am sure this will involve lot of journalisming,” tweeted Daily Wire Editor Ben Shapiro, while Curtis Houck, managing editor of the press watchdog Newsbusters.org, referred to the broadcast as another “grief porn thunderdome.”

• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.

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