ABC journalist Terry Moran on Wednesday was shocked as he discovered that some high school students support the Second Amendment and don't like the liberal media. Instead of reporting on the breaking news that the FBI has been conducting a “very high priority” investigation of the Clinton Foundation, the Nightline reporter traveled to a Pennsylvania high school, explaining that it's in a “predominantly white community.”
Talking to the kids about the 2016 election, Moran appeared perplexed to hear about firearm ownership. "How many of you have a gun," he wondered, urging them to raise their hands. Moran continued, “My goodness. These are your own personal firearms? It's not mom's or dad's?”
Almost mocking the children, Moran pointed at the students and complained, “You think Hillary would want to take away your guns?... She's going to be a police officer come to your door and demand your gun?”
The journalist sneered, “That's not going to happen!” He lectured to the TV audience: “They seem to believe what Trump is claiming.... And not trusting what Clinton has actually been saying.”
The classroom was full of political posters and memorabilia from both conservative and liberal positions. Interestingly for Moran, there was a Media Research Center “Don’t Belive the Liberal Media” button.
Later, the reporter asked the kids about media bias and was surprised by their responses:
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TERRY MORAN: How about the media? We doing a good job? How many think the media is biased? Mainstream media as they call it. [Almost all the kids raise their hands.] That's pretty much a yes. [Surprised.] Why?
GIRL: Because they're always trying to attack Trump.
MORAN: We're always attacking Trump?
GIRL: Yeah. Like, they take pictures of him in the worst possible positions that they possibly could.
Earlier in the segment, Moran repeatedly stressed one point: “We're on our way to New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. These are working class white communities away from major metropolitan areas.”
He underlined, “ It's a predominantly white community.”
A partial transcript of the Nightline segment is below:
Nightline
11/3/16 (11/2/16 on the west coast)
1:03:51AM ET to 1:12:01
8 minutes and 20 secondsDAN HARRIS: Now to the other national pastime dominating the American psyche, the presidential election. In schools across America, teachers have really been struggling with how to handle this often salacious campaign. Tonight ABC's Terry Moran takes us to a school in the heart of Trump country where they're taking this race head-on as part of our series "Inside the final 30."
[Montage of Clinton and Trump commercials.]
TERRY MORAN: We're on our way to New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. These are working class white communities away from major metropolitan areas.
DONALD TRUMP: She plays her woman's card.
HILLARY CLINTON: He shouldn't have his hands on our economy.
MORAN: We're going out to a school out here where the civics teachers have been trying to get the students to come to grips with this election. How are kids processing all this venom? Pennsylvania's one of the fiercest battlegrounds in this presidential election. Every vote matters here.
...
MORAN: The real election is still six days away. But in just a few hours at Redbank Valley High School, students will be casting their votes for president. It's a predominantly white community and this mock election is the culmination of a unique civics program that's tackling this divisive election head-on.
JOE HARMON (Teacher, Redbank Valley High School): I know there's teachers in this country, I've talked to them, their administration has specifically told them, do not deal with the election.
MORAN: Because they're so concerned about controversy?
HARMON: So concerned about controversy already where better to deal with controversy than social studies?
...
[In a classroom.]
HARMON: How many of you know somebody that's lost a job around here? So who specifically is that for?
STUDENT: The people in rural areas.
HARMON: So this ad is targeted toward an area like this.
MORAN: I have a couple of questions.
HARMON: Yes, please.
MORAN: That was fun. One thing I was very struck by. It was powerful when you asked how many of you have been affected by job loss? Could you do that again? How many? Pretty much everybody.
MORAN: According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, Pennsylvania has lost nearly 300,000 manufacturing jobs since January 2001.
TRUMP: Pennsylvania has lost more than 35 percent of its manufacturing jobs.
MORAN: And in these hallways there are clear signs that the trump movement is strong here. [Looking at posters.] Keep immigrants out. How to make America great again. I can't tell if that's pro or con. Hard to be a Hillary supporter here. Even though the latest Pennsylvania poll has Clinton at 48 and Trump at 43. Let’s pretend I’m a Hillary person. [Students laugh.] That bad, huh? Would we be able to talk? Would we be able to say here’s what I believe?
STUDENT: No.
MORAN: [Emphatically.] Why not?
GIRL: This whole class is Trump.
MORAN: Even here, you can sense it with these kids. They mirror that feeling in this campaign. We are almost living in two different countries. How are we going to run the country together?
GIRL: Why don’t we split the country into two different countries?
MORAN: They tried that. That didn't work in the Civil War. But it almost feels that way. What is it about Hillary country that you don't like?
GIRL: "Just get rid of our guns."
MORAN: It's the guns.
GIRL: Yes.
MORAN: How many of you have a gun?
[All raise hands.]
MORAN: My goodness. These are your own personal firearms? It's not mom's or dad's?
STUDENT: It's mine.
MORAN: Remember, this is western Pennsylvania. Most people hunt here. In fact, the students get days off at the height of the hunting season.
[Camera zooms in on a Media Research Center “Don’t Believe the Liberal Media” button” on the wall.]
MORAN: You think Hillary would want to take away your guns? [Points at students.]
MALE STUDENT: Uh-huh.
MORAN: Your gun, your gun, your gun?
[Students nod.]
MORAN: She's going to be a police officer come to your door and demand your gun?
GIRL: Yes.
MORAN: [To students.] That's not going to happen! They seem to believe what Trump is claiming.
TRUMP: She wants to take away Americans' guns.
MORAN: And not trusting what Clinton has actually been saying.
CLINTON: I'm not here to take away your guns. And we need to keep guns out of the hands of those who will do harm.
GIRL: There's a lot of bad people. But I don't think that means that we should punish everyone.
MORAN: Meanwhile, voting is under way for the other students in the school.
...
[Back in classroom.]
MORAN: How about the media? We doing a good job? How many think the media is biased? Mainstream media, as they call it. [Almost all the kids raise their hands.] That's pretty much a yes. Why?
GIRL: Because they're always trying to attack Trump.
MORAN: We're always attacking Trump?
GIRL: Yeah. Like, they take pictures of him in the worst possible positions that they possibly could.
MORAN: Polls are about to close. There's excitement in the air. It may be a mock election but there's something empowering about all this for these young people.
GIRL: Trump train! Trump train!
TEACHER: No campaigning past these doors, ma’am.
MORAN: The votes are carefully counted and Nightline's the first to report the results. Hillary Clinton 48. Donald Trump 340. Donald Trump with a landslide victory here at Redbank Valley.
