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‘I don’t know what to say about that’: CNN confused after facts don’t fit narrative of gay nightclub shooter

November 23, 2022 | | Print Article

For corporate media, the narrative has consistently been a priority over the news, and Tuesday, as details about the alleged Colorado Springs murderer that seemingly collapsed the premise were presented in real-time, CNN’s Alisyn Camerota was left flummoxed, “I don’t know what to say about that.”

(Video: CNN)

As it happened, defense attorneys for the suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, had submitted documents to the court that, in part, explained the defendant’s preferred pronouns as “they/them.” It was also reported earlier that in the request for a preliminary hearing, the suspect specified a desire to be referred to as “Mx. Aldrich.”

Camerota opened a panel discussion on this point as she appeared to visibly struggle with the facts.

“So, attorneys for the accused shooter, Anderson Lee Aldrich, say in new court filings tonight that the suspect now identifies as non-binary. In a footnote to a motion, asserting legal privileges, the public defenders say, quote, ‘Anderson Aldrich is non-binary. They use they/them pronouns, and for the purposes of all formal filings, will be addressed as Mx. Aldrich.’ So in other words, not Mr. or Mrs.”

Introducing her guests as political commentator Errol Lewis, former Reps. Al Franken (D-MN) and Joe Walsh (R-IL), the host divulged, “I don’t know what to say about that.”

“I mean that’s not anything that we had heard from his background,” Camerota went on while much, including a motive, remained unknown about the alleged perpetrator. “People had been looking into his background, and I don’t know if anybody here–are you guys lawyers? I mean, you know, I don’t know what to say about that. That’s what he’s now saying.”

Lewis spoke up in an effort to bail Camerota out of the hole she was digging herself into and suggested none too better, “It sounds like they’re trying to prepare a defense against a hate crimes charge. That’s the least of his problems, legally speaking. But it looks like they’re trying to build some kind of sympathy or at least confusion on the question of whether or not this was purely motivated by hate.”

“That is what it sounds like. We will wait to see,” the host went on before pivoting to the comfort of standard talking points.

In addition to being called out for denying the self-identification of the defendant, Camerota was also slammed for her failure to uphold the woke rules on gendering as she continued to use masculine pronouns for the supposedly non-binary individual.

As the host stated, this story remains in the “wait and see” phase despite corporate media’s efforts to get ahead to land the preferred messaging. But should it progress further from easily assigning right-wing motives, many believed the coverage will simply cease to exist as so many other inconvenient truths have been memory holed in the past.

Kevin Haggerty
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