CNN’s ratings are buried beneath the basement, and Monday’s coverage of a deadly shooting in New York City shows precisely why.
A man walked into a Midtown Manhattan high-rise and opened fire. His name was Shane Devon Tamura, police announced quickly.
Tamura, 27, entered 345 Park Avenue in broad daylight, brandished a rifle, and killed four people before turning the gun on himself.
One of the victims was an off-duty NYPD cop with a pregnant wife.
The building houses multiple offices, including those of the NFL. Tamura, a former California high school football player, reportedly held a grievance against the league.
Police had not released a motive 12 hours after the attack. But some facts were immediately clear on Monday.
A man with a gun entered a building and murdered innocent people in full view of onlookers and a camera.
One startling image of the shooter was immediately clear, and it was circulated widely before the sun had set on the East Coast.
????#BREAKING: A photo of the armed suspect in Midtown Manhattan has been captured by security cameras. At least two people have been shot, and the suspect is reportedly wearing a bulletproof vest. This remains a highly active and dangerous situation pic.twitter.com/NjHTsrfvFR
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) July 28, 2025
And yet, somehow, the people at CNN looked at that image and decided the black man they were seeing was “possibly white.”
During on-air coverage, Erin Burnett commented that Tamura was potentially a “white” male before she asked analyst John Miller what police knew about him.
“They do not know who he is,” Miller replied. “They know he is a male, possibly white. He’s wearing sunglasses. He appears to have a mustache.”
That photo, which CNN referred to, clearly showed two facts:
A man walked into a New York office building with a gun.
That man was not a white man.
Two CNN employees had access to the same facts as the rest of the country, and still told viewers they might be looking for a white man.
CNN: NYC shooter is "possibly white." pic.twitter.com/wjpfRZPEfX
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 28, 2025
One X user pointed out how dangerous that lie could have been: “CNN egregiously decided to throw ‘possibly white’ into their description of the (black) man police were looking for, which could’ve aided his escape.”
CNN is not only stupid, they are dangerous.
During an #ActiveShooter search, CNN egregiously decided to throw "possibly white" into their description of the (black) man police were looking for which could've aided his escape.
Fortunately, Shane Tamura decided to kill himself. pic.twitter.com/6aHzVjlHCK— W J Lintz (@wjlintz) July 29, 2025
Another wrote, “CNN is purposely lying to the American people. They no longer serve the public interest. It’s actually dangerous.”
When @CNN tells viewers that the shooter is a "WHITE" guy even after the WORLD can see the picture of the shooter and they stick to it, it's time to pull broadcasting licenses.
CNN is purposely lying to the American people. They no longer serve the public interest. It's… pic.twitter.com/PhEzVzgHB0— Kate (@kate_p45) July 28, 2025
Charlie Kirk added, “Gee, it’s almost like they have an agenda.”
Law Enforcement: Here's multiple pictures of the not white suspect.
CNN: "They know he is, a male, possibly white. He's wearing sunglasses."
Gee, it's almost like they have an agenda. pic.twitter.com/Dx6Xii2FRJ
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 29, 2025
After Tamura was confirmed not to be white, CNN quietly stopped mentioning the topic of race.
CNN is now very purposely avoiding mention of anything related to the NYC shooter's race.
"Police have tentatively identified the gunman as a 27 year old man from Las Vegas, Nevada. Preliminary checks based on his name and date of birth don't show any criminal background." pic.twitter.com/6THwXHDauQ
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) July 29, 2025
No correction. No apology. No accountability.
People at the company probably wondered why CNN only managed 538,000 primetime viewers last quarter in a country of over 340 million people, according to Adweek.
Burnett and Miller should have answered their questions.
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