To: Elliot C. McLaughlin, CNN "This Just In" Blogger, Jason Hanna, CNN "This Just In" Blogger, Linda Rathke, CNN "This Just In" Blogger, Steve Almasy, CNN "This Just In" Blogger, and John King, CNN Chief National Correspondent
Hey, CNN: What makes a witness a "suspect?"
18MillionRising
We demand that CNN take responsibility for their egregious racial profiling in covering the Boston Marathon bombing, and insist that CNN issue an immediate apology to the young Saudi student impacted by this brand of reckless, unethical journalism.
Why is this important?
In its frenzied search for a suspect during the four days immediately following the bombing, media outlets quickly “colorized” the investigation -- unsurprisingly to many people and communities of color -- and all the more problematic now that we know the identities of the real suspects. At 8:36 p.m. on the day of the bombing, CNN claimed on its breaking news blog, “This Just In,” that “investigators have warned law enforcement officers to be on the lookout for a ‘darker-skinned or black male’ with a possible foreign accent in connection with Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon,” despite lacking confirmation from federal investigators. Just 19 minutes later, the same CNN bloggers reported that a Saudi national was under guard at a local hospital -- again, without FBI confirmation -- and essentially fanned racial fears.
By stoking the fires of racial bias, CNN contributed to the unjust, prejudicial treatment of Abdulrahman Ali Alharbi, a Saudi national student subjected to interrogation by Boston police (while being treated for bomb-related injuries at a local hospital), and whose personal residence was also searched. Abdulrahman Ali Alharbi has since been proven innocent.
Making matters worse, last Wednesday CNN continued with its race-baiting and racial fear mongering when Chief National Correspondent John King repeatedly stated -- without federal confirmation -- that a “dark-skinned male” had been arrested [that] afternoon. Despite King’s efforts to walk back his statements last Friday via Twitter, the damage to communities of color had already been done.
Not only does this kind of “reporting” lack basic journalistic integrity, but it reinforces racial profiling across the country -- inciting fear, creating distrust, and heightening anxiety within many communities of color. It is especially important for CNN to take responsibility for this irresponsible racial narrative because we know the bombing suspects are not, in fact, “dark-skinned.”
We cannot paint entire groups of people -- no matter their racial identity -- with broad, accusatory strokes in our zeal to bring forth justice. No innocent individuals or communities should be subjected to racial profiling for the sake of prejudicial efficiency.
By stoking the fires of racial bias, CNN contributed to the unjust, prejudicial treatment of Abdulrahman Ali Alharbi, a Saudi national student subjected to interrogation by Boston police (while being treated for bomb-related injuries at a local hospital), and whose personal residence was also searched. Abdulrahman Ali Alharbi has since been proven innocent.
Making matters worse, last Wednesday CNN continued with its race-baiting and racial fear mongering when Chief National Correspondent John King repeatedly stated -- without federal confirmation -- that a “dark-skinned male” had been arrested [that] afternoon. Despite King’s efforts to walk back his statements last Friday via Twitter, the damage to communities of color had already been done.
Not only does this kind of “reporting” lack basic journalistic integrity, but it reinforces racial profiling across the country -- inciting fear, creating distrust, and heightening anxiety within many communities of color. It is especially important for CNN to take responsibility for this irresponsible racial narrative because we know the bombing suspects are not, in fact, “dark-skinned.”
We cannot paint entire groups of people -- no matter their racial identity -- with broad, accusatory strokes in our zeal to bring forth justice. No innocent individuals or communities should be subjected to racial profiling for the sake of prejudicial efficiency.