Yesterday, James Boulware attacked the Dallas Police headquarters; police eventually killed him in his van. Yet, CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield had a rather weird take on the event, calling Boulware’s actions “courageous” and “brave” (via Newsbusters) [emphasis mine]:
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: An operation like this, it now spans 18 miles. It was very courageous and brave, if not crazy as well, to open fire on the police headquarters, and now you have this scene, this standoff. Do you believe these are the hallmarks of more than one person involved now?PHILIP HOLLOWAY, CNN legal analyst (clearly distancing): Well first off, I want to say the Dallas police department did an excellent job handling this situation, and we’re very fortunate that no one other than the suspect was injured. Yes, I think it’s very likely that he had at least some degree of assistance.
Crazy? Yes, but “courageous” and “brave;” absolutely not. Luckily, no officers were injured given that Boulware had planted pipe bombs outside the building.
Today, Ms. Whitfield apologized for her remarks, saying she “misspoke.”
This is CNN.
Flashback: That other time CNN reporters misspoke in the aftermath of the Boston Bombing in April of 2013.
Editor's note: The headline has been corrected.