'Why isn't this all over the news?': Fox News commentator lashes out over lack of coverage of a police officer who stopped a school shooting one day before the Santa Fe massacre
- Greg Gutfeld, a commentator on Fox News' "The Five," railed against media outlets for what he perceived as a lack of coverage of a thwarted mass shooting at a high school in Illinois.
- A police officer shot and wounded the gunman.
- Gutfeld accused other media outlets of bias for not covering the incident.
- It was unclear which media outlet Gutfeld was referring to; however, the Fox News host frequently criticizes CNN's programming.
- Other outlets also accused CNN of not covering the Illinois shooting.
- CNN covered the shooting.
A Fox News commentator railed against media outlets for what he perceived as lackluster coverage of a thwarted mass shooting at an Illinois high school.
"An amazing thing took place Wednesday but I bet you didn't hear much about it," Greg Gutfeld, a host on Fox News' "The Five," said in his in his opening monologue. "So the obvious question is, why isn't this all over the news?"
On Wednesday morning, 19-year-old Matthew Milby opened fire on students who were rehearsing for their graduation. Milby, who was using his mother's semiautomatic rifle, exchanged gunfire with Dixon police officer Mark Dallas.
Milby received non-life threatening injuries and was the only person hurt during the shooting. He was released from the hospital the same day and was taken to Lee County Jail, where he was charged with three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Gutfeld argued that the would-be mass shooting did not meet what he called the media's "seal of approval."
"The problem is, in this case, the media isn't interested in what doesn't happen," Gutfeld said. "Lives were saved, thankfully, so the story didn't fit the narrative."
Gutfeld went on to suggest that media outlets did not report on the foiled shooting because the officer fired his weapon to stop the suspected gunman.
"In this non-news story, truth is revealed." Gutfeld said. "That one can save lives by actually protecting people. For the duration of a gun attack is always dictated by the arrival of a second gun."
It was unclear which news outlet Gutfeld was directing his displeasure toward, but the host has frequently criticized networks like CNN.
CNN was also another target in the wake of the Illinois shooting. In a tweet on Thursday, the National Rifle Association uploaded a video accusing the network of bias when covering shooting incidents: "When you give mass shooters non-stop coverage but ignore an armed resource officer who stopped a mass shooting, you are not journalists."
The NRA was wrong. CNN did not "ignore" the officer who stopped the would-be mass shooter in Illinois. CNN published a report on it at least one hour before the NRA tweeted its video.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper noticed the discrepancy and called out the NRA on Twitter: "A message to whoever is running your social media, @NRATV, saying we ignored this armed resource officer is a lie. Please don't lie. Thanks!"
But the NRA fired back with another video and message: ".@jaketapper show us where the @CNN 'reporters' are at Dixon High School covering the armed resource officer who stopped a mass shooting," the organization tweeted. "NRATV is there. #WheresCNN? Please don't lie. Thanks! #NRA"
Tapper took another swing: ".@NRATV I have already showed you evidence that CNN didn't 'ignore' the hero officer, as was your lie," he said in a tweet. "Now you're trying to change the question. Happy to continue the conversation after you delete the false tweet and apologize. Thanks!"
The NRA did not delete its original tweet.