US Television News and Tragic Events: What They Say vs. Mean

US Television News and Tragic Events: What They Say vs. Mean

What  they say…	What they hope you think…	What it really means…
”Reports are coming in of a shooting/bombing…”	”This news organization is connected to all major news sources…”	”An intern happened to be on Twitter…”
”As yet, there are no indications that this is a terrorist act…”	”These guys are really being careful not to draw any conclusions…”	”As yet. But we can hope…”
”There are reports that this could, we repeat could, be an act of terror…”	”This is a complex story with potentially deep geo-political implications…”	”The suspect isn’t white…”
”The assailant is reported to have links to a possible terrorist cell…”	”These terrorists are far more organized in the US than we imagined…”	”The suspect has friends with weird names on Facebook…”
”We now turn to our Senior Domestic Security Analyst…”	”Wow! This channel has some knowledgeable people…”	”Only person in newsroom with degree in Political Science…”
”It seems possible that this is not, repeat not, an act or terror…”	”Thank God…”	”Despite what we suggested, it would appear that not all non-whites are Muslim…”
“Sources now confirm that they are now not treating this as an act of terror…”	“Good. Now that is confirmed…”	“We can confirm that the suspect is white…”
”This would appear to be a domestic incident…”	”So, this is just the work of a deranged nut…”	”Shit. Now we have to talk about gun control again…”
“Of course, we can never entirely rule out the possibility of home-grown terror…”	“We must be vigilant when it comes to far-right extremists…”	“Didn’t CNN say something once about a Norwegian Al Qaeda…?”
”The situation is fluid…”	”These guys are covering a fast-moving story…”	”We really don’t have a clue what’s going on…”