November 22, 2016

CNN Segment On Anti-Semite Sparks Backlash

Screenshots of a segment unthinkable even a few months ago set off outrage on social media.


A CNN segment on a white nationalist’s comments supporting Trump and condemning “Jewish interests” sparked ire on social media today thanks to screenshots like this one:

 

The “alt-right leader” referred to in the chyron is Richard Spencer of the National Policy Institute, a white nationalist think tank. Video of Spencer’s comments at a conference Saturday showed him suggesting that mainstream media had been critical of  Trump “in order to protect Jewish interests.”

“One wonders if these people are people at all, or instead soulless golem,” Spencer told the crowd.

On CNN’s The Lead, host Jim Sciutto asked Rebecca Berg of Real Clear Politics and Matt Viser of the Boston Globe whether Trump should be expected to publicly denounce comments like these. Sciutto, Berg, and Viser all vigorously condemned the comments and suggested that if Trump were to address these types of comments, it would only act to legitimize bigots. Still, it was not long before screenshots of the clip circulated like wildfire.

Viser, the deputy Washington bureau chief for the Boston Globe, found himself forced to clarify that he was not the alt-right leader posing the question:

DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again—any amount today.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again—any amount today.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate