The liberal media flocked to a gun control rally that was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Saturday in the wake of the Parkland school shooting. They were eager to spread the group’s message and during their Sunday morning shows, ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Sunday Today hyped the new wave of “student activism” and claimed they had the “momentum here.”
During the segment on Sunday Today, reporter Maya Rodriguez despicably fanned the flames of anger by asserting that a gun show occurring almost 50 miles away was somehow a counter-protest to the gun control rally:
Strong emotions and opposing sides of the nation’s gun debate visible this weekend in south Florida. From a rally in Fort. Lauderdale calling for more gun control … to a gun show in Miami. Less than 50 miles south of Parkland … On display, AR-15’s similar to the one used in the shooting.
Rodriguez’s claim came despite the show’s manager telling her: “The Florida gun show intends no, disrespect for having this show go on right after the horrible events that happened in Parkland.”
A short time later, anchor Willie Geist was speaking with Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd and he expressed his frustration with the lack of gun control action from Congress. “We've seen this routine before. Both sides dig in on their arguments for guns and against guns,” he lamented. “Politicians say the right things about thoughts and prayers in the moment but nothing really changes on the federal level. Forgive my skepticism, but why would anything change now?”
Todd responded by lambasting Republicans for doing nothing to stop the killings. “Look, I know, legislatively probably nothing will change, as long as you have the sort of orientation that you have right now with Republicans in charge of the House and Senate, and a president who very much doesn't appear to have any interest in new gun laws,” he chided while conveniently forgetting that Democrats did nothing on gun control when they were in control of everything.
“But the student activism here does feel different. We've not had this before after one of these shootings. These students aren't just mourning, they're angry,” Todd touted, sounding confident. “I think this is potentially a formidable new group of political activists here that could at least change the conversation.”
Meanwhile, on GMA, they made it clear to their viewers they were backing the gun control activists. “We want you to look at the images from an impassioned rally on Saturday where students who survived the massacre spoke out in favor of gun control. One sign reading, as you can see, make it stop,” declared co-anchor Paula Faris as they began the program.
“I have to say, Dan and Paula, you’ve just never seen such emotion and such powerful, passionate emotion about wanting to go something about this, wanting this to stop,” Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz praised after a report highlighting the protest. “Yeah, so many people feel this might be the turning point for our country,” Faris agreed.
After co-anchor Dan Harris flashed skepticism over gun control ever being enacted, Raddatz assured him the student activists had the “momentum.” “I feel there is momentum with a new group of people, a new group of students of 17-year-olds, 18-year-olds who are resolved to change this,” she explained.
ABC gave no airtime to the position of gun rights advocates or their policy proposals for combating mass shootings. And when they were mentioned on NBC, gun rights advocates were set up as antagonistic of grieving students and families at the rally. There was no objective coverage here.
The relevant portions of the transcripts are below, click expand to read:
NBC
Sunday Today
February 18, 2018
8:03:06 AM Eastern(…)
MAYA RODRIGUEZ: Strong emotions and opposing sides of the nation’s gun debate visible this weekend in south Florida. From a rally in Fort. Lauderdale calling for more gun control—
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: This is not okay, our kids are dying.
RODRIGUEZ: -- to a gun show in Miami. Less than 50 miles south of Parkland.
GEORGE FERNANDEZ: The Florida gun show intends no, disrespect for having this show go on right after the horrible events that happened in Parkland.
RODRIGUEZ: On display, AR-15’s similar to the one used in the shooting.
KEITH MOREAU: They're thinking that gun is the issue and we as dealers are the problem. We're not the problem, the problem is society.
RODRIGUEZ: Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio reacted to his stance against gun control. Specifically addressing student protesters.
MARCO RUBIO: If I were a student at a school or my kid was a student at a school that had just been shot up, I would be angry. And I would be angry at the people I thought—or I’m being told haven’t done anything. I'm not going to criticize their anger. I understand it.
(…)
WILLIE GEIST: We've seen this routine before. Both sides dig in on their arguments for guns and against guns. Politicians say the right things about thoughts and prayers in the moment but nothing really changes on the federal level. Forgive my skepticism, but why would anything change now?
CHUCK TODD: Look, I know, legislatively probably nothing will change, as long as you have the sort of orientation that you have right now with Republicans in charge of the House and Senate, and a president who very much doesn't appear to have any interest in new gun laws.
But the student activism here is something that's different. And, look, I know that I've had people say to me if 20 first graders getting mowed down doesn't change things, why would will anything change? But the student activism here does feel different. We've not had this before after one of these shootings. These students aren't just mourning, they're angry. They’ve grown up in a generation of knowing how to build communities quickly. Their anger and heir protestations here have gone viral fast. I think this is potentially a formidable new group of political activists here that could at least change the conversation. And that's what you have to do first, Willie, before you’re going get legislation.
(…)
ABC
Good Morning America
February 18, 2018
8:01:57AM EasternPAULA FARIS: And good morning, America. We want to thank you for joining us this Sunday morning. We’re going to start with the latest developments in that horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida. We want you to look at the images from an impassioned rally on Saturday where students who survived the massacre spoke out in favor of gun control. One sign reading, as you can see, make it stop.
(…)
ADRIENNE BANKERT: There were raw emotions through impassioned speeches at a gun control rally this weekend in response to the violence. One of the loudest voices Emma Gonzalez.
EMMA GONZALEZ: Our students have learned if you don't study you will fail. And in this case, if you actively do nothing, people continually end up dead. We are the people who are going to make ourselves heard the most. Because we're the people who have the opportunity to do that.
BANKERT: This morning the Trump administration promises to focus on school safety.
(…)
DAN HARRIS: Martha, good morning. I understand you sat down also with some students from the school. What are you hearing?
MARTHA RADDATZ: I have to say, Dan and Paula, you’ve just never seen such emotion and such powerful, passionate emotion about wanting to go something about this, wanting this to stop. I was thinking this is the first shooting we've really seen inside a school because of those videos we saw. We saw the fear up close. They felt the fear up close. But talking to a family yesterday, the son and daughter were both in that school, hearing their resolve to change this, to approach politicians, to say whatever they can to try to get Congress to listen, to try to get their local authorities to listen and try to change this.
FARIS: Yeah, so many people feel this might be the turning point for our country. And a lot of people are calling for something to be done. What is that something? Are there any policies that have been proven to work?
RADDATZ: You know, Paula, I ask them again and again and you both would have the same questions. Look, there was Sandy Hook, there was Las Vegas. There are so many things have happened. And nothing has happened after that. There have been some state laws that they believe have been successful in Connecticut and New York and elsewhere. Others will refute those kinds of figures saying that had nothing to do with it, that nothing to do with cause and effect. They are wanting to look at all these things again. I don't think this group of students is going to go away quietly. I think they'll stick to this. They'll try to see some sort of change.
HARRIS: But given the history of failed attempts to do something, do you think this time really is different? You live and work in Washington. Do you feel like there's genuine momentum here?
RADDATZ: I feel there is momentum here. I feel there is momentum with a new group of people, a new group of students of 17-year-olds, 18-year-olds who are resolved to change this. You're right. I live in Washington. It hasn't changed. We'll have to see what they do going forward to see if they can make a difference.
FARIS: As you say Martha, the students speaking with so much resolve. They will be the last mass shooting, that's what they're saying.
(…)
