19 votes

C-SPAN reports caller to the FBI after on-air threat to shoot CNN's Brian Stelter and Don Lemon

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6 comments

  1. Parliament
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    Just think of the sheer mathematics of the president villainizing the media and calling journalists the enemy of the people. Tens of millions of Americans hear something from the president every...

    Just think of the sheer mathematics of the president villainizing the media and calling journalists the enemy of the people. Tens of millions of Americans hear something from the president every day, whether through a speech or (more likely) a tweet. All it takes is one unhinged person out of the sea of millions to escalate things to physical violence. To call Trump's war with the media irresponsible would be the understatement of the year.

    8 votes
  2. [3]
    anti
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    It doesn't really read as a threat to me. At worst, it's not a credible threat. Non story.

    It doesn't really read as a threat to me. At worst, it's not a credible threat.

    Come on, give me a break. They started the war. I see them, I'm gonna shoot them, bye.

    Non story.

    2 votes
    1. RapidEyeMovement
      (edited )
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      I would argue the opposite, if the caller was willing to stay on the line and have a discussion, it would be less chilling. But this person does not want to have a conversation or an open...

      I would argue the opposite, if the caller was willing to stay on the line and have a discussion, it would be less chilling. But this person does not want to have a conversation or an open dialogue. They did not want anything about what they said challenged.

      Video of the threat

      The last line is disturbing, because it is a threat that is meant to shutdown conversation, the caller is trying to scare others who disagree with them. This caller is also deliberately backing themselves into a corner, so they can justify their action to themselves. They are also stating they believe they are under attack, so to them any action is now justified.

      9 votes
    2. spit-evil-olive-tips
      Link Parent
      It's not your job or mine to determine if it's a credible threat. That's what the FBI is for. C-SPAN did the right thing by reporting it to the FBI. Because C-SPAN is broadcast live, it's also...

      It's not your job or mine to determine if it's a credible threat. That's what the FBI is for. C-SPAN did the right thing by reporting it to the FBI.

      Because C-SPAN is broadcast live, it's also inevitable that someone will report on it as news. It is newsworthy, because it's not everyday that someone broadcasts a death threat to journalists live on the air.

      It's also a sad commentary on how much the respect for media and journalism has eroded, that a death threat like this can happen, whether credible or "a joke", and your response amounts to a shrug.

      4 votes
      1. Removed by admin: 3 comments by 3 users
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      1. Pilgrim
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        Yeah, it wasn't related. Neither was the YouTube shooting. But it's easy to conflate the shootings with the poisonous political rhetoric used by the right.

        Yeah, it wasn't related. Neither was the YouTube shooting. But it's easy to conflate the shootings with the poisonous political rhetoric used by the right.

      2. [2]
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          1. TheJorro
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            What would it take for you to have sufficient grounds?

            What would it take for you to have sufficient grounds?

            2 votes