In the wake of the high-profile stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee last week, the liberal city of San Francisco, California became the recipient of many criticisms and accusations that the city wasn’t a safe place to live. The accuracy of these complaints didn’t matter much to CBS Morning and NBC’s Today show as they each vented their frustrations that people like Twitter CEO Elon Musk would dare have negative things to say.
NBC took a rather morbid approach to defend San Francisco with national correspondent Miguel Almaguer rhetorically abusing Lee’s memory:
A tech titan who created the mobile payment service Cash App, Lee was a father of two who had recently moved from the city to Miami. His family saying, “Bob loved being in San Francisco, and San Francisco loved Bob.” After his murder, the city vilified by many, including Elon Musk for being soft on crime and a haven for lawlessness.
He also hyped outrage from San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins who lashed out at Musk in particular despite wide-ranging criticism of the city. “Reckless and irresponsible statements like those contained in Mr. Musk's tweet that assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee's death served to mislead the world and their perceptions of San Francisco,” she forcefully declared in the soundbite.
“As San Francisco leaders fired back, they insist the tragedy that unfolded could have happened anywhere,” Almaguer touted. “And now, in a case that took the city to its core, an arrest has been made.
Meanwhile, on CBS, co-anchor Dana Jacobson openly whined that “Last week's murder of Bob Lee brought anguish and accusations that San Francisco has become a lawless and dangerous city.”
And as if it was some kind of defense, she argued that San Francisco could still be considered safe because, “It turns out that Lee, like most murder victims, knew the person who is now accused of killing him. Sources tell CBS News they were seen together on the night of the murder.”
Further in the segment, national correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti noted Lee’s murder “brought anguish and accusations that San Francisco has become a lawless and dangerous city” and also highlighted Jenkins’ comments directed at Musk.
But Vigliotti bucked the narrative a little bit. He pointed out that a recently released “city survey of 2,500 residents” found that “San Francisco safety received the lowest marks in 20 years.” Only 36 percent of residents “feel safe walking alone at night.”
A Wednesday Fox News report on San Francisco crime looked at how crimes – such as aggravated assaults – spiked in the city under Jenkins’ predecessor, Soros-backed George Gascón. “[I]n the five years before Gascón's tenure, tallied up to 11,921 reported incidents, or 2,384 per year. In the last five years of Gascón's term, that number jumped to 13,070, or 2,614 per year,” Michael Lee reported.
That certainly explains the poll Vigliotti cited.
These defenses of San Francisco were made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Hyundai on CBS and Liberty Mutual on NBC. Their contact information is linked.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Mornings
April 14, 2023
8:14:10 a.m. EasternDANA JACOBSON: The suspect arrested for the stabbing death of a well-known Silicon Valley executive is due in court today in San Francisco.
Last week's murder of Bob Lee brought anguish and accusations that San Francisco has become a lawless and dangerous city. It turns out that Lee, like most murder victims, knew the person who is now accused of killing him. Sources tell CBS News they were seen together on the night of the murder.
(…)
8:15:28 a.m. Eastern
JONATHAN VIGLIOTTI: Lee's violent death spurred prominent tech leaders to take to social media to criticize San Francisco leaders’ approach to crime. One of those critics, Twitter's Elon Musk. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, pushed back.
BROOKE JENKINS (San Francisco, D.A.): That reckless and irresponsible statements like those contained in Mr. Musk's tweet that assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee's death serve to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco.
VIGLIOTTI: According to a city survey of 2,500 residents, which was just released yesterday, San Francisco safety received the lowest marks in 20 years.
(…)
NBC’s Today
April 14, 2023
8:33:08 a.m. Eastern(…)
MIGUEL ALMAGUER: A tech titan who created the mobile payment service Cash App, Lee was a father of two who had recently moved from the city to Miami. His family saying, “Bob loved being in San Francisco, and San Francisco loved Bob.” After his murder, the city vilified by many, including Elon Musk for being soft on crime and a haven for lawlessness.
BROOKE JENKINS (San Francisco, D.A.): Reckless and irresponsible statements like those contained in Mr. Musk's tweet that assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee's death, served to mislead the world and their perceptions of San Francisco.
ALMAGUER: As San Francisco leaders fired back, they insist the tragedy that unfolded could have happened anywhere. And now, in a case that took the city to its core, an arrest has been made.
(…)
