How CNN covers the heroes who’ve stopped mass public shootings apparently depends on whether or not the hero was armed.
Back in November, after a gunman opened fire on a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, he was confronted by and exchanged fire with Stephen Willeford, a local resident, and former NRA instructor.
In their reporting on Willeford, CNN headlined their piece “Hero” exchanged fire with gunman, then helped chase him down.
The word hero was put in quotation marks as if Willeford was being referred to as an “alleged hero.”
Meanwhile, their coverage of this week’s Nashville Waffle House shooting and the hero who saved lives there excluded the quotation marks around “hero.” In that case, 29-year-old James Shaw Jr. rushed the shooter and wrestled his rifle away from him. The shooter got away on foot but left behind his rifle and ammunition. See the different headlines for yourselves below:
To be fair, the former article does start by acknowledging that “The deadliest shooting in Texas history could have claimed even more lives if it weren’t for two strangers who jumped into action, authorities said.” But that makes it even weirder that the word “hero” would be used with ambiguity. The only time the word “hero” is used in the article is when a Sheriff is being quoted as saying “What do you say to the man who stepped up when he heard the gunshots? I’d say he’s a hero.”
By contrast, the latter article begins “The heroism of James Shaw Jr. ended a deadly shooting at a Tennessee Waffle House before more lives were lost. But Shaw wants people to know that it doesn’t take a hero to save the day.”
Both men are undoubtedly heroes, which is why it’s so bizarre to see CNN so confused as to whether or not someone who prevents a tragedy from worsening with a firearm falls into that category.
Do you think CNN’s headlines were deliberate? Let us know your thought in the comments section below!
