CNN (1/28/17) normalizing Trump’s xenophobia.
CNN is uncritically adopting the Donald Trump administration’s preferred label for Muslim nations caught under its arbitrary ban: “terror-prone countries.”
On at least three occasions since the executive order was signed, CNN has used the term without scare quotes or explicit reference to the Trump administration talking points, instead using the demonstrably incorrect and pejorative phrase as an objective descriptor of the nations targeted by Trump’s order:
- Trump Eyes Temporary Ban on Refugees (1/25/17): A senior White House official made it clear that Trump will not sign executive orders Thursday targeting the refugee program or immigration from terror-prone countries.
- Trump Signs Executive Order to Keep Out ‘Radical Islamic Terrorists’ (1/28/17): The order bars all persons from certain terror-prone countries from entering the United States for 90 days and suspends the US Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days until it is reinstated “only for nationals of countries for whom” members of Trump’s cabinet deem can be properly vetted.
- What to Know About Trump’s Visa and Refugee Restrictions (1/28/17): An executive order signed by Trump on Friday bans all people from certain terrorism-prone countries from entering the United States for 90 days.
In these reports, CNN is reflexively adopting a Trump talking point without any qualification or explanation. What’s more, it’s factually untrue.
As several outlets have noted (e.g., Intercept, 1/28/17; NPR, 1/27/17; Huffington Post, 1/28/17), since at least 1975, nationals from the countries Trump is banning entry from have killed zero Americans in terror attacks. Whereas countries that have had some of their citizens involved in US political violence (and sometimes even fund designated terror organizations), such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE, are entirely omitted from the administration’s list.
If stopping immigrants from “terror-prone” countries was the objective, the list Trump provided would make no sense. By adopting the Trump administration’s framing, however, CNN is treating it as a rational response to a realistic danger.
Smearing entire countries as “terror-prone,” of course, puts immigrants from these countries at risk at a time when xenophobic hate crimes are on the rise. Responsible news outlets should be discouraging scapegoating, not fueling it with lazy and malicious generalizations.
Given that no one, in or outside the administration, has shown how these countries’ nationals are more “terror-prone” than other immigrants, CNN’s adoption of the label is little more than mindless—and dangerous—stenography. CNN should only use the term in direct quotations from the Trump administration.
ACTION:
Please contact CNN and tell the network to stop adopting the Trump administration’s “terror-prone” label as its own description of the countries targeted by Trump’s immigration order.
CONTACT:
CNN Feedback: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/
Twitter: @CNN
Please remember that respectful communication is the most effective. You can leave copies of your messages to CNN in the comment thread.
Adam Johnson is a contributing analyst for FAIR.org. You can find him on Twitter at @AdamJohnsonNYC.
If we really want to reduce the danger of terrorism we should start by scaling back the mission of the United States Military.
How about we remove US troops and installations from “their” countries starting with Afghanistan. What we are doing isn’t productive. It is very likely counterproductive. We aren’t “winning any hearts or minds”.
I can think of a country that would be more accurately termed “terror producing” …
Do your job. Don’t gloss over lies with tepid euphimisms. Bring the truth to your broadcasts.
And most especially, don’t use “terror-prone” countries and other fallacious terms that belie the truth.
Not all the numbers show the pertinent facts. Example: Although home grown terrorism in the United States reveals a higher percentage and events than by foreign entities or persons, it should be noted the extremely large increase in the last 20 years by current citizens of the United States, who were foreign nationals of primarily Muslim nations just previous to their terrorist acts. Revealing that we have to label the countries what even just a few of their people do til we can figure out how many there are and how to stop them. Then we can go back to allowing the good and productive people from those other countries in. There is no Nazism in that by a long shot. Shut it all down, go back to square one, because there have been too lax and ineffective policies and procedures allowing a very dangerous security trend.
Maybe it’s time to stop the droning?
You must take a stand against Trump’s incorrect and ignorant rhetoric–consider your reputation as a reputable, reliable source of news by not referring to specific countries as “terror-prone.” Some people are terror prone, not entire countries. Be a source of accurate reporting, not FAKE news.
Message I left at http://www.cnn.com/feedback/
I have learned from FAIR.org that: “On at least three occasions since the executive order [against immigrants] was signed, CNN has used [Trump’s propaganda term ‘Terror-Prone Countries’] without scare quotes or explicit reference to the Trump administration talking points, instead using the demonstrably incorrect and pejorative phrase as an objective descriptor of the nations targeted by Trump’s order …… [specific cases/quotes referenced]. In these reports, CNN is reflexively adopting a Trump talking point without any qualification or explanation. What’s more, it’s factually untrue.”
What!?! So CNN is delighted to parrot Trump’s Hilter-era propaganda rather than advancing the goals of true journalism? For shame, for shame, for shame.
I thought this was supposed to be fair reporting. Obama’s adminstration came up with the list. http://ijr.com/opinion/2017/01/263636-obama-trump-muslim-ban-seven-countries/
Pretty biased article from you guys. What a disappointment.
I’m writing to ask CNN to stop using the inaccurate term “terror-prone countries” when describing the nations whose citizens are targets of the Trump administration’s decree on refugees and immigration. In fact, out of all terrorist attacks in the US in the past 40 years, people from the seven countries on Trump’s list have killed a total of _zero_ people.
None of the Sept. 11 hijackers came from these seven countries. If people from these countries had been completely barred from the US for the past generation, it would not have made us one bit safer. But we would have been deprived of the creative contributions of immigrants from Iran, Syria, Sudan and the other nations on this list.
It’s not CNN’s job to take sides in the debate over immigration and refugee rules. That’s why you should stop using the term “terror-prone nations” when describing the Trump adminstration list– it’s untrue, and when you use it you uncritically repeating false government propaganda.
We need CNN to be journalists– not propagandists.
Thanks.
Well i am glad no more terrorists will be coming to the US from Saudi Arabia or the emirates.(all hijackers were from those countries[1]) 9/11 cannot happen ever again! [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijackers_in_the_September_11_attacksl