After reflecting on the riot at the U.S. Capitol Building on Wednesday, CNN appeared to have established the acceptable language the network's hosts could use to describe the events. Those who stormed the building would be referred to as “terrorists” and the event itself as an “insurrection.”
Grabien Media’s Tom Elliott pointed out the major problem with calling these people “terrorists” earlier on Thursday and said the media needs to look in the mirror.
Strikes me as yet another needless escalation. Terrorists use violence — particularly the mass death of civilians — to seek political ends. These people were anti-democratic hooligans, but they weren’t driving trucks through crowds or flying planes into buildings.
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 7, 2021
I don’t recall a single time CNN/MSNBC referred to violent BLM activists as “terrorists,” even though their tactics terrorized the general population far more than yesterday’s uprising. If the media wants to help quell this chaos, they need to look at their own role in this mess.
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 7, 2021
Fox News’s Tucker Carlson later addressed CNN’s characterization of the riot as an "insurrection," which he said was likely a marching order from the network’s president, Jeff Zucker.
“They understand how to use language, not simply to describe what is happening…they use it for political ends,” he said. “The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol wasn't an insurrection, it was a political protest that got completely out of control, as we said before, because the president recklessly encouraged it and that is wrong. But it was not an insurrection, stop with the lying!”
VIDEO - Tucker to CNN: Capitol Hill Riot Wasn’t Insurrection, It’s a Protest that Got out of Control https://t.co/NJKbBnxby8
— Grabien (@GrabienMedia) January 8, 2021