CNN’s Brian Stelter is worried that his media peers are giving President Trump a rhetorical cudgel with their selective concern over the spread of the coronavirus.
The host of “Reliable Sources” told Twitter followers that two NBC News stories posted one hour apart will be exploited by the White House as it readies a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“’Extraordinarily dangerous’: Trump rally draws grave concerns from top health officials,” one headline read shortly after the network showed tens of thousands gathered in New York City’s Brooklyn borough for a Black Trans Lives Matter protest.
NBC’s piece on the LGBTQ gathering and the “throngs in New York City” did not mention coronavirus health concerns. Instead, it highlighted “the dangers facing the Black transgender community.”
“He has a fair, important point,” Mr. Stelter responded to a tweet by Mark Hemmingway, senior writer at Real Clear Investigations, who juxtaposed the two NBC stories. “Also: every time a reporter raises health concerns about Trump’s rally in Tulsa, the Trump camp is just going to bring up the recent protests in response.”
Podcaster Stephen L. Miller replied: “And [Mr. Trump] should. You guys handed him another big bat to hit you with. Enjoy!”
The social media aggregator website Twitchy also weighed in by calling Mr. Stelter’s tweet a “moment of clarity” on media bias.
A local NBC affiliate in New York estimated the total number of protesters gathered in Brooklyn on Sunday near 30,000.
He has a fair, important point. Also: every time a reporter raises health concerns about Trump’s rally in Tulsa, the Trump camp is just going to bring up the recent protests in response… https://t.co/04KDNIbOXR
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 15, 2020
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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