A chyron which accompanied a report on CNN’s Newsroom program on Wednesday about the arrest of a leader of an organization inspired by the Minuteman Project, referred to her and her accused accomplices as “extremists.” Despite qualifying how the largest Minuteman organization had distanced itself from the suspects, anchor Rick Sanchez questioned how she became a “player in the anti-immigration movement.”
Sanchez took the human interest story approach to the segment, which began 26 minutes into the 3 pm Eastern hour of the CNN program. He first displayed the picture of a young girl who was one of two murder victims in the case, and gave the following description: “Things are not always as they seem, right? And I want to illustrate this now with a picture of a beautiful little girl- there she is. Her name is Brisenia Flores- take a close look, because it may be the only way that you’ll be able to see this little girl. Why? Because this little girl- Brisenia Flores- is now dead.”
After giving some details of the crime, the anchor continued by describing the suspects: “Shawna Ford and two other suspects are now being held on a bond of a million dollars for the deaths of Brisenia Flores and her father....Let me tell you who Shawn Forde is. She’s the executive director of a group that’s called Minuteman American Defense. Police say that Forde planned the killing of the little girl and her father to steal drugs and money, and make it look like it was the work of a drug cartel.”
Sanchez concluded with his qualification about the Minutemen and his question, which he left open-ended: “The nation’s largest Minutemen group has distanced itself from Forde, we should say, and we’ve learned that within Minutemen circles, she is considered a bit of a loose cannon. But you do have to wonder and you do have to ask...how did Shawna Forde, a supposed fringe element, turn up on PBS as a player in the anti-immigration movement?”
Note how the anchor uses the oft-used and overly general “anti-immigration” term. The liberal Talking Points Memo website gave some details into Forde’s PBS appearance (which referenced another left-wing blog, Crooks and Liars, which itself linked to an organization called America’s Voice, which pushes for “common-sense immigration reform”), as well as some details into her turbulent background. Could it be that the left-wing blogosphere’s attention on the crime lead to Sanchez and/or his producer’s decision to run with this story?
The full transcript of the segment from Wednesday’s Newsroom program:
RICK SANCHEZ: Let’s talk about this. Things are not always as they seem, right? And I want to illustrate this now with a picture of a beautiful little girl- there she is. Her name is Brisenia Flores- take a close look, because it may be the only way that you’ll be able to see this little girl. Why? Because this little girl- Brisenia Flores- is now dead. Last May, two men and a woman broke into her home in southern Arizona, and they shot and killed her and her father. Now, according to original reports, the killers were drug dealers, and this was shaping up to be just another case of that Mexican drug gang/cartel violence that we’ve been telling you about.
Guess what? That really may not be the case at all. Here’s why: Shawna Forde and two other suspects are now being held on a bond of a million dollars for the deaths of Brisenia Flores and her father. Shawna Forde is not a Mexican drug cartel member- in fact, quite the opposite. Let me tell you who Shawn Forde is. She’s the executive director of a group that’s called Minuteman American Defense. Police say that Forde planned the killing of the little girl and her father to steal drugs and money, and make it look like it was the work of a drug cartel. The nation’s largest Minutemen group has distanced itself from Ford, we should say, and we’ve learned that within Minutemen circles, she is considered a bit of a loose cannon. But you do have to wonder and you do have to ask, how did Shawna Forde- let’s go ahead and get rid of the president’s picture there if we can- how- pardon us- how did Shawna Forde, a supposed fringe element, turn up on PBS as a player in the anti-immigration movement? This is a story that we’re going to continue to watch for you. We’ll tell you what we find.
—Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.




















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Comments Policy
I keep saying that to
June 17, 2009 - 18:51 ET by motherbeltI keep saying that to liberals, there are only "normal" people (them) and "right-wing extremists." Anyone who doesn't agree with them falls into the latter category.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
Speaking in a strictly
June 17, 2009 - 18:58 ET by Chris NormanSpeaking in a strictly aesthetic sort of way, Rick Sanchez is a good-looking guy. But, everytime I see his picture here, it kind of makes me sick...
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Et tu, Brute?
June 17, 2009 - 19:11 ET by SickofLibsNooooo!!!!!
;-)
Oh, perish the thought.
June 17, 2009 - 19:21 ET by Chris NormanOh, perish the thought. :)
Sanchez should be doing the local weather, but tries to make himself "serious" by being over the top liberal. Instead of looking serious, he looks even sillier.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Chris,
June 17, 2009 - 19:32 ET by R D HelmLOL-Uhh, should we be getting worried?
-Dave
Obama's health care "reform" plan is to blow up the building in order to fix a leak in the roof-Herman Cain
You guessed it!
June 17, 2009 - 19:34 ET by Chris NormanNo closet can hold me any longer. :)
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
I reckon this evens things
June 17, 2009 - 19:24 ET by ConservativeRexI reckon this evens things up with CNN and I. They think I am an extremist, I know they are.
Question
June 17, 2009 - 19:28 ET by criticalthinkingWould you some how argue that the anti-immigrant killing of a little five year old girl is somehow not extremism?
Ah, here we go. Trying to
June 17, 2009 - 19:32 ET by Chris NormanAh, here we go. Trying to pull the same Rick Sanchez thing. It doesn't work here.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Funny thing is, nowhere in
June 18, 2009 - 08:58 ET by ckc1227Funny thing is, nowhere in the story did it say it was an anti-immigrant killing. I guess it's your job to write your own version of news stories.
What the story DID say was they were killed while stealing drugs from the family. Probably not a good idea to be a drug dealer if you value your family's safety.
So if they're not
June 17, 2009 - 19:41 ET by balboaSo if they're not extremists, what are they?
If guilty, the ones who
June 17, 2009 - 19:44 ET by Chris NormanIf guilty, the ones who shot the little girl are murderers and should be locked up forever. That doesn't make the main group "extremists". Anymore than the hijackers of 9/11 make all Muslims terrorists.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
IF, they murdered this
June 17, 2009 - 19:47 ET by balboaIF, they murdered this family to get money for their cause, then I think extremist is a fair label, taking the Minuteman cause to extreme ends.
For all the Minutemen, no
June 17, 2009 - 19:52 ET by Chris NormanFor all the Minutemen, no matter what the organization believes? You are confusing the few with the whole. Did the violent crimes of the Weatherman Underground in theSixties make "extremists" of everyone who opposed the Vietnam War?
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
No, just for those three. So
June 17, 2009 - 20:06 ET by balboaNo, just for those three. So they're Minutemen who've exceeded those goals for extreme ones.
→ Makes sense
June 17, 2009 - 20:17 ET by Cool ArrowIllegals come to America to kill, kidnap, steal, and rape. Therefore, they have "exceeded the goal" of being an Illegal Alien?
So the Illegal Alien Movement is extreme?
Your logic, imputing the traits of three members to the entire movement, can be applied to a lot of movements, but is that logic true?
Is Tony Hawk an extremist?
♣ a seal
Did you see the words "just
June 17, 2009 - 20:25 ET by balboaDid you see the words "just for those three" that I typed? That means I think just, those, three are extremists, not the entire movement.
Right.
June 17, 2009 - 20:34 ET by general companyHa, I think this is twice, and you prooved me wrong (below),,, congrats
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Balboa once had a
June 18, 2009 - 07:51 ET by Willis_Leon_Johnsonbrief association with intelligent people, but during the vetting process, the person came up lacking the skills and abilities to become a lifetime member so the relationship was ended. No further association has ever been revealed, and no connection exists currently.
"The Arizona Daily Star reported that four years ago Shawna Forde had a
brief association with MCDC, but neither she nor her group had any
connection with MCDC."
Two identical statements....
http://gjresult.com
balboa
June 17, 2009 - 20:08 ET by well99So all those people murder by illegals makes illegals extremist?Sanchez is a racist punk.
→ bal
June 17, 2009 - 20:10 ET by Cool ArrowIt should be pretty safe to say the perpetrators of this murder/robbery were extremists. It's a whole 'nother proposition to assume an entire group is extreme because some of its members committed the crime.
♣ a seal
I am pretty sure
June 17, 2009 - 20:25 ET by general companyIt's a whole 'nother proposition to assume an entire group is extreme because some of its members committed the crime.
Bal dont see it that way in THIS case
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Words from the Left
June 17, 2009 - 20:30 ET by iveseenitallThe lefties in the media certainly can use words effectively to influence the ignorant. Take the word "extremist" for example. The connotation of the word has quickly become quite negative when applied to the conservative right. But "extremist" is not used when referring to the left. In the Civil Rights Movement, the word was not used. Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton were not referred to as "extremists". Even the anti-white, anti- Jew, anti-American Rev. Wright or the bomber of government buildings Bill Ayres are not called "extremists" by lousy left-wingers like Sanchez. Yet the Minutemen are "extremists". Vice President Cheney has "extremist" views. Glen Beck is an "extremist". Riiight...But are the things Obama and his crooked cronies have done so far called "extreme"? Nah....The bastards make me, and millions of Americans, sick to our stomachs.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Thanks to Liberals we have
June 17, 2009 - 20:14 ET by RR GOPThanks to Liberals we have murders galore in this country, not to mention tons of drug-related and gang violence.
So, since this creep committed murder and is connected to right wing organization, it is big news.
I guess the other children who are murdered by non-ideological creeps are not worthy of mention nor remembrance by the MSM?
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
The Left have their OWN 'loose cannon'...
June 17, 2009 - 21:54 ET by Tailgunnerhttp://www.worldnetd...
'Million Mom’ activist convicted in shooting
Bereaved mother shot wrong man after son killed
"A bereaved mother whose son was shot and killed nearly two years ago -- and who spoke out against gun violence and memorialized shooting victims at the Million Mom March rally in Washington, D.C., last Mother's Day -- was herself convicted of shooting a man she wrongly believed was her son's killer...."
"Barbara Graham, the Washington Post reported Thursday, "was found guilty in D.C. Superior Court … of trying to avenge her son's death by shooting a young man" last year that "she blamed for the killing".
"The Million Moms March...has become one of the nation's leading advocates of stringent gun control. The group, which promotes gun-control activism among the nation's mothers, says it is "dedicated to preventing gun death and injury and supporting victims and survivors of gun trauma."
"...Officials with the group, which has its main office in San Francisco General Hospital, did not return phone calls on Friday seeking comments about Graham's involvement with the Mother's Day speech or her conviction."
"According to the Post, jurors last week returned guilty verdicts on nine counts against Graham, 49, for her Jan. 26, 2000, shooting of Kikko Smith, age 23. The shooting has left Smith paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for life."
NOLO PUGNARE ME OCCIDERE
What Obama giveth with one hand he taketh away with both hands.
Ever Hear of Ira Einhorn
June 18, 2009 - 06:59 ET by allanfI wonder if Sanchez has every heard of Ira Einhorn?
Minuteman Project Responds
June 18, 2009 - 07:05 ET by allanfhttp://www.minutemanproject.com/newsmanager/templates/mmp.asp?articleid=932&zoneid=1