U utorak, CNN-ov Chris Cuomo retweetao je račun @usaphotodude citirajući novinara po imenu Cody Davis. Tweet je glasio: “Uspio sam kupiti AR-15 pušku u roku od pet minuta. Imam 20 godina i moj ID je istekao.” Postoji samo jedan problem: to ne nikada nije dogodilo. U članaku piše: “Nakon što smo prošli kroz papirologiju, čitavih pet listova, rekao sam mu (prodavaču) da sam promijenio mišljenje i da želim još razmisliti prije nego kupim AR-15. Rekao mi je da to nije problem i izvjestio me o radnom vremenu u slučaju da se poželim vratiti. Nakon toga sam mu zahvalio i vratio se do mog automobila.”
Drugim riječima, tip nije mogao kupiti pušku bez ID-a i odgovarajuće pozadinske provjere što je po saveznom zakonu.
Ali to nije ono o čemu je Cuomo tweetao.
Hey, @ChrisCuomo from CNN. Saw the article you retweeted: “I WAS ABLE TO BUY AN AR-15 IN 5 MINUTES”
Did you see the part where he admits to neither filling out the necessary paperwork (which would initiate the background check) NOR purchasing the AR-15? Weird. pic.twitter.com/wLfaiKCqaM
— Chet Cannon (@Chet_Cannon) February 21, 2018
Nakon što je prozvan, Cuomo je poslao Tweet: “Nije li dječakova dob i nedostatak valjane iskaznice bio dovoljan za odvraćanje od kupnje? i to nisu sve prodavaonice oružja. Mjesto na kojem sam ja kupio sačmaricu traži čak i više provjera od onog što zakon zahtijeva i još uz to dodatno procjenjuje kome prodati oružje. Stvar je da bi sustav trebao biti bolji.”
U tome nije stvar. Stvar je u tome što je Cuomo tweetao lažnu informaciju. Charles Cooke iz National Reviewa ukazao je na to:
Isn’t the point that the kid’s age and lack of ID wasn’t a deterrent? and this isn’t all gun shops. Place I bought my shotgun basically goes farther than law requires and makes judgments about whom to sell to. Point is the system should be better https://t.co/sL1j0hYtTg
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) February 21, 2018
Cuomov odgovor pokušao je usmjeriti razgovor na nevezanu temu:
Lying? Look if you want to fight against background checks, make the case. Whether it is calling the kids actors or LYING about how no laws could stop the shootings…that is the bs to call out. 97% of people want better checks. Why fight that? https://t.co/YCLVyi5VT3
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) February 21, 2018
Na što je Cooke odgovorio:
This isn’t a response. This is a straw man that has nothing to do with what I said to you, and nothing to do with the topic at hand. You promoted somebody who lied, and then you lied about why you did it. https://t.co/ofsxeo9iRf
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) February 21, 2018
It’s also a non sequitur, @ChrisCuomo. The debate at present is over whether to extend background checks to private sales, not over the existing FFL system that the kid you promoted would have gone through had he actually tried to buy a gun. As for the introduction of those . . .
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) February 21, 2018
This isn’t a response. This is a straw man that has nothing to do with what I said to you, and nothing to do with the topic at hand. You promoted somebody who lied, and then you lied about why you did it. https://t.co/ofsxeo9iRf
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) February 21, 2018
Dakle, kao i obično, član mainstream medija koji se zalaže za kontrolu oružja lagao je o činjenicama i kad je bio suočen s njima ponovno je pribjegao laži. To su navodno objektivi izvori istine kod kojih bi trebali tražiti nepristrane informacije.