(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) In a case of Orwellian censorship on steroids, CBS News banned reporters from using the word “transgender” to describe the transgender triggerman who slaughtered six Christians, including three children, last month at Nashville’s Covenant School.
“The shooter’s gender identity has not been confirmed by CBS News,” the network’s executives insisted in a memo, despite police officials having previously confirmed the mass shooter was a woman who identified as a man. “As such, we should avoid any mention of it as it has no known relevance to the crime. Should that change, we can and will revisit.”
The memo stunned CBS staffers and reporters, who ripped the decision and accused top brass of “twisting themselves in knots” by putting their “liberal bias” over factual reporting, which was ultimately a “disservice” to viewers, the New York Post reported.
“Are we communicating to our readers and viewers that they cannot handle the basic facts of the case?” a CBS insider told the Post. “You can’t avoid who this person is. This is not an editorial decision. They made a judgment based on personal feelings.”
The executive’s attempt to justify their decision only made it worse.
“Right now we advise saying: POLICE IDENTIFIED THE SUSPECT AS A 28-YEAR-OLD AUDREY HALE, WHO THEY SHOT AND KILLED AT THE SCENE,” the memo instructed. “And move on to focus on other important points of the investigation, community and solutions.”
Staffers were outraged at the water-carrying directives they were being given.
“This is absurd because the police identified Hale as transgender,” a CBS insider said. “If the cops didn’t address it, maybe you could avoid it, but withholding information is not journalism.”
Louder with Crowder’s Brodigan noted that CBS wasn’t alone with its reporting transgressions.
“Then you have The Mirror, who felt Hale — who murdered children – having ‘childlike’ and ‘whimsical’ artistic skills was necessary information for us to have,” he wrote, adding that while the outlet’s tweet on the matter still exists, the article was deleted.
“That this article even passed editorial approval in the first place says much about the state of our media.”
The censorious decision by CBS came after law enforcement and multiple outlets had solidly confirmed that the shooter was transgender, and the network was roundly roasted for its reluctance to acknowledge the trans fact.
“And on Trans Day of Visibility, too?” the Daily Caller cracked.
I watched NORA ODDONNEL on CBS after the Nashville shooting. They never mentioned the crazed lunatic killer was a Chick-Pretending-to-be-a-man-TRANSBOY-maniac
Interesting CBS.
Trans Lunatic kills 6
No mention from NORA. Hmmmmmm….— tJaden (@tJaden76726986) April 4, 2023
“The police confirmed that the suspect was 28 years old, named Audrey Hale, and identified as trans,” Matt Walsh wrote. “CBS takes them at their word on the first two points but doesn’t want to accept the third point. I wonder why.”
I’ve noticed all the papers using ‘they’ as they aren’t quite brave enough to put she. Unreal.
— Luce (@ashleighbli) March 28, 2023
“Remember some years back when Islamic radicals would commit terrorist attacks in America and the media would go out of their way to hide the identity and motives of the killers?” tweeted Rogan O’Handley. “Yeah they’re starting to do that again for Trans Terrorists.”
CBS News won’t report shooter was trans.
White House won’t say the victims were Christian.
Pro-Gun Control rallies in state capitol buildings.
Pro-Trans rallies nationwide.
All this because officials chose not to timely release the shooter’s manifesto.
— Jeremy Boreing (@JeremyDBoreing) April 2, 2023
