Fake news or fake outrage? Depends on one’s perspective.
The “fake news” conspiracy group seem to believe they now have solid evidence of CNN International creating a pro-Muslim narrative for a live shot hours after the most recent London Terror attack.
In a YouTube video titled “CNN staging the narrative before making report, they are truly Fake News!” it appears that reporter Becky Anderson directs some self-described “Muslim Mothers” to stand behind her as they rally support for London Police, who responded so bravely to the attacks of Saturday night. Watch the video:
Anderson is a seasoned veteran who, according to her bio, “is based in CNN’s Abu Dhabi bureau, allowing her a distinctive regional perspective on some of today’s most important news stories, including the deepening humanitarian crisis in Syria, continuing unrest in the wake of the Arab Spring and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace process.” So she’s no rookie looking to make a quick splash.
For those not familiar with live news production, it is actually not that uncommon for hosts and producers to arrange protesters or pedestrians behind reporter to provide a varied background. Sources familiar with this live shoot tell Mediaite that the protesters (“Muslim Mothers”) were already very near the location and the Police simply allowed them to move behind Ms. Anderson and crew.
That said, there is reason to fairly critique this as “
We reached out to CNN for explanation and they provided the following statement:
“This story is nonsense. The group of demonstrators that was at the police cordon was being allowed through by officers so they could show their signs to the gathered media. The CNN crew along with other media present simply filmed them doing so.”
Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter offered his explanation via Twitter: