A New York Times writer has been left red-faced after he was quick to link an overnight shooting in Portland to the incident in Kenosha. His far-reaching assertions turned out to be badly mistaken.
Shortly after a man was shot and killed during chaotic protests in Portland, where pro-Trump activists faced off against a Black Lives Matter (BLM) crowd, NYT opinion writer Jamelle Bouie took to Twitter to ‘analyze’ the incident.
The journalist linked it to the earlier Kenosha shooting, stating “it took four days before someone decided to emulate Rittenhouse” and effectively suggested that it was a BLM protester who was killed and put the blame on the movement’s opponents.
Pretty embarrassing when New York Times writers can’t be bothered to wait like 20 minutes for bare-minimum facts before making smug, self-assured political pronouncements pic.twitter.com/VzjA7qd97b
It quickly became clear the situation was exactly the opposite and it was a Trump supporter who was killed, Bouie deleted his far-reaching message. But adding to the irony of the situation, the journalist also apparently took time to scold another user for linking the shooting of two police officers in St. Louis with the ongoing US protests, insisting some “evidence” is needed to do so.
Incredibly irresponsible to suggest, without a lick of evidence, that this shooting of police officers has something to do with the protests. You can read more on the St. Louis shooting here. https://t.co/DV2ezAme6r
In fact, the user did not even pin the blame for the shooting on anybody, but rather suggested that the strong anti-police sentiment, that persists at BLM protests, is “encouraging” such incidents.
Wild guess here, but maybe crap like this constantly being chanted at #BlackLivesMatter “protests” all over the country may be what he was referring to ?♀️ https://t.co/IHF2e22yKn
Bouie’s statements did not escape the eye of the Twitter crowd, who rushed to his feed to accuse the journalist of hypocrisy and double-standards.
Irresponsible people are the worst. https://t.co/BBWJ09k7CY
Wait, so now we are waiting for evidence?
Man it takes a lot of mental gymnastics to square that circle. pic.twitter.com/8Kyyh5FllH
Some demanded he issue a correction instead of just quietly taking down his posts.
Where’s your correction @jbouie so that your followers know that you spread a false narrative?
A member of the pro-Trump organization Patriot Prayer was shot and killed overnight in Portland, when the city saw clashes between BLM activists and the President’s supporters. While initial reports suggested the victim was a black BLM protester, that proved to be completely false.
The Kenosha incident occurred last Tuesday, when 17-yo rifle-wielding Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly shot and killed two and badly wounded another BLM protester, who was armed with a pistol. The suspect was apprehended and charged on six counts, including first-degree murder and attempted homicide.
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