By James F. Tracy

Over the past several years certain certain US mass shootings receive round-the-clock coverage yet often possess curious features which are ignored and merely accepted “as reported” by less-than-trustworthy corporate media. Bizarre circumstance and the sometimes inexplicable actions of officials, victims, eyewitnesses and would-be culprits give rise to concern that government agencies and news media act in certain ways to embellish some incidents while short-circuiting the dissemination of vital information.

In the flood of information following such heavily-covered tragedies there are sometimes enough anomalies in routine reporting to develop serious cause for concern and  intensified scrutiny. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas mass shooting is one such event. Below is a list and brief discussion of what this author believes to be the most glaring inconsistencies and overall problems evident in information and coverage of the Parkland incident that necessitate further consideration of the overall event.

1. Missing Surveillance Video. Ensconced in a locale boasting a $600,000 media property value. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is among the most modern and well-funded in Florida. Like other schools throughout the state, the campus was equipped with a comprehensive video monitoring system of buildings’ interior passages and exterior walkways. The Broward County School District is withholding video taken during the February 14 ,2018 mass shooting at the school that could reveal exactly how the event transpired. It appears that some video may have been obtained by the Miami Herald, which posted it with the headline, “Video Shows Blood-Smeared Floor, Body Inside Douglas Classroom.” The article has since been removed from the newspaper’s website.

2. Scripted Lines? A Stoneman Douglas high school junior and ROTC member, Colton Haab, who sought to participate in a CNN TownHall broadcast on February 21, claimed the cable network provided him with a list of “scripted questions.” “I expected to be able to ask my questions and give my opinions on my questions,” Haab explained to local ABC affiliate, WPLG-TV. “CNN had originally asked me to write a speech and questions, and it ended up being all scripted.” Haab said he was asked to prepare a speech and to ask about school safety and the prospect of veterans being employed as armed security guards in schools. The high schooler’s ideas and queries were prohibited by CNN. After being told he had to ask a scripted question, Haab decided not to attend the event. “I don’t think that it’s going get anything accomplished. It’s not gonna ask the true questions that all the parents and teachers and students have,” Haab said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20DMeQayxGM

Shortly thereafter Haab stated on FoxNews that based on his experience he believed all of the questions asked by Stoneman Douglas students and community members at the CNN TownHall were scripted.

Continue reading Parkland Shooting: Top 10 Reasons For Deeper Interrogation →