Liberal cable networks CNN and MSNBC have been citing fabricated statistics in an attempt to debunk President Trump’s claims on Monday about rampant crime in Washington, D.C. Over the past 24 hours, these two networks have cited the dubious statistics over 70 times, while refusing to acknowledge that a D.C. police official was suspended for tampering with those stats just months ago.
Summary of findings:
- Over 24 hours, CNN and MSNBC cited manipulated D.C. crime statistics 73 times.
- Conservative CNN contributor Scott Jennings was the only individual on either network to mention that a police commander was suspended for allegedly falsifying those statistics.
- Across both networks, January 6, 2021 was brought up 31 times.
In Mid-may, D.C. police commander Michael Pulliam was put on administrative leave after the police union accused his department of intentionally manipulating crime data. As Paul Wagner at NBC News Washington explained: “The union claims police supervisors in the department manipulate crime data to make it appear violent crime has fallen considerably compared to last year.”
But since Monday, CNN and MSNBC have continuously cited those contaminated data, in response to President Trump announced that the federal government would be assuming control of policing in the District.
MRC analysts examined the first 24 hours of regular weekday coverage on CNN and MSNBC after Trump’s Monday announcement, from 11:00 a.m. on August 11 to 10:59 a.m. on August 12. Analysts identified 73 instances in which anchors, guests, and reporters cited the manipulated crime statistics for which Pulliam was suspended. MSNBC was responsible for 44 such instances, while CNN aired the remaining 29.
The only individual on either network who acknowledged the dubious origin of the data was conservative CNN contributor Scott Jennings, during a panel discussion in the 10:00 p.m. hour on August 11.
But while Pulliam’s alleged malfeasance was nearly entirely absent from the coverage, talking heads were eager to mention another topic in their discussion of crime in Washington: January 6. TV journalists managed to bring up the unrest at the U.S. Capitol four years ago a whopping 31 times (17 on MSNBC, 14 on CNN).
In addition to citing bogus statistics and opining about January 6, panelists also speculated wildly about whether President Trump had ulterior motives:
One popular theory pushed by MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, MSNBC contributor Eddie Glaude, among others, was that the President hoped to “distract” Americans and the media from Jeffrey Epstein. As CNN media critic Brian Stelter explained on Tuesday:
There were lots of people yesterday saying, “Hey, is this a distraction? Is Trump trying to distract from the Epstein scandal?” Well, here’s the more interesting — here’s the better question: is it working or not? And I’m here to tell you, yes, it is working. If this was working, yes, it is succeeding.
Another theory was that Trump had been motivated primarily by racism. Shortly after the President’s announcement on August 11, CNN national politics correspondent Eva McKend remarked: “He has always felt that American cities, especially this with large black populations, like Washington, D.C., are crime-ridden.”
And still others, such as MSNBC host Symone Sanders and MSNBC contributor Barbara McQuade, surmised on Morning Joe that Trump’s declaration was a part of a larger “power grab.”
As of this piece’s publishing, both CNN and MSNBC have not backed away from the manipulated crime statistics for which Pulliam was suspended, and Jennings remains the only individual on either network who has even alluded to the scandal’s existence.
