A shooting, and a panel that blamed the target
On July 13, 2024, a gunman opened fire at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Donald Trump was wounded in the ear, one attendee was killed and two were seriously injured.
BREAKING: CNN Condemns Donald Trump for Inciting Violence Against Himself
Every Smattering story starts from a real event and goes exactly one step further. Here is the step, and the line we did not cross.
“If he did not want to be a target, he could have held the rally in a smaller font.”
The real newsJul 13, 2024, Butler, PA
Cable coverage started within minutes and ran for days. Much of it was careful. Some of it reached for a familiar habit: explaining the politics of an event before the facts were in.
The escalationOne step further
Our cable panel goes all the way. Within an hour it has reviewed the footage and decided the man who got shot is responsible for the violence. The anchors are invented, and so is every quote.
Where we drew the line
We did not joke about the people who were hurt or killed. The story is about television, not about the victims.
Read itThe story itself
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