Smear Of CNN Busted

Apparently, there was at least one parent of a Marjory Stoneman Douglas student who was willing to use the massacre to smear CNN in service of pushing an NRA/ Trump talking point. Looks like someone got caught lying:

CNN released emails from a network producer on Friday that appear to contradict a Florida high school student's claim that the network scripted a question that he was supposed to ask at a televised town hall event this week.  

Colton Haab, a survivor of last week's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., said Thursday on Fox News that CNN had initially asked him to "write a speech and ask questions” for the event but that a producer ultimately scripted a question for him. CNN has denied that claim. 

According to Business Insider, CNN and Haab agreed on the question that he would ask at the town hall. His father, Glenn Haab, pulled his son out of the event after the network refused to let the student read a lengthy speech at the event.

The Haabs' also appeared to provide doctored emails to media outlets to back up the claim that CNN scripted the questions, Business Insider reported. CNN's version of the email showed that the producer wrote she wanted the student to stick to a question "that he submitted," but that phrase was omitted in the version released by the family. (our emphasis)

Apparently, the "speech" that CNN actually told young Haab not to give was an elaboration on the statement/ question Haab had submitted himself, and which was to be directed to Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson. The statement/ question was,

"Senator Nelson, if Coach Feis had had his firearm in the school that day, I believe that he could have most likely stopped the threat. Have we thought about having a class for teachers who are willing to be armed trained (sic) to carry on campus?" (our emphasis)

Does that idea sound familiar?

Hmmm. The NRA works fast, doesn't it?  Sounds like they got their talking points to Daddy Haab, then he got his son on Fox "News" to smear CNN and the whole movement being led by young Haab's more woke fellow students.

But, hey, mission accomplished!  The intent was to get the smear out there to undercut a legitimate news source and the student movement, and at least one sleazy nitwit was happy to catapult the bullshit far and wide:

“School shooting survivor says he quit @CNN Town Hall after refusing scripted question.” @TuckerCarlson. Just like so much of CNN, Fake News. That’s why their ratings are so bad! MSNBC may be worse.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2018