A man with a long-standing beef against the Annapolis, Maryland, newspaper Capital Gazette entered the paper’s headquarters with a shotgun and murdered five staffers. It represents the deadliest attack on U.S. reporters in modern history.
Before learning about the suspect’s mental issues and his long-standing feud with the newspaper, some in the media blamed President Donald Trump. After all, critics said, Trump routinely denounces “fake news” as an existential threat to our republic. Connect the dots, they said. Blame Trump! CNN aired a montage of Trump’s attacks on the media. Rob Cox, a Reuters editor, tweeted: “This is what happens when @RealDonaldTrump calls journalists the enemy of the people. Blood is on your hands, Mr. President.” Another reporter, who later resigned, even falsely tweeted that the shooter was wearing a MAGA cap. How do you get that wrong?
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