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The assault by a transgender shooter at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, taking two lives and wounding over a dozen more, has shaken the country. It has also unsettled an already dismayed press industry, as journalists and news outlets have grappled with the uncomfortable realities exposed during their rush to cover a dramatic news event.
It was with expected fashion that there would be slobbering news coverage of another school shooting, but in the course of their breathless reports, the deeply inconvenient fact that the killer was a trans individual was revealed. This realization saw press members scrambling as they needed to shift narratives on the fly, and the stumbling and redirection this caused exposed many of the inherent problems with our press.
Today’s column will be centered on the disturbing coverage seen across the media spectrum while covering this story.
Low Octane Gas Lighting – ABC NEWS
The sin of omission on brash display.
We start with what might be the worst example. In the immediate aftermath, ABC News correspondent Aaron Katersky was delivering some of the breaking details regarding the killer, as Townhall had done in rapid fashion on Wednesday afternoon. Listen to his rundown of the specifics as they had been revealed by Aaron.
This is repugnant, intentional misinformation on the school shooter from @ABCNews and @AaronKatersky
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) August 28, 2025
He states on the gun magazine Donald Trump’s name was written, an intentional implication the shooter was a supporter.
Listen to his listing of items:
1/3 pic.twitter.com/bnyEE4nD5H
Here is the subterfuge Katersky employed during this report. First, he does not mention at all that the shooter had been a transgender individual. Second, his blithe mention that Donald Trump’s name was on the gun used by the shooter was an intentional attempt to frame this as a Trump supporter. Not once, but in two locations on the weapon, the words that were written said “K**l Donald Trump”.
You cannot pass off these deceptions as being the result of the fog of breaking news and incomplete information arriving. Katersky was detailing the shooter based on having seen aspects of a manifesto, so he had to also be aware of the transgender makeup of this killer.
As for the “Trump” quote on the gun, Aaron was also fully aware of what was written. He detailed a number of other phrases that had been scrawled across the weapon, a clear indication that Aaron had seen the photos of the gun. So he chose to omit the detail that the shooter loathed Trump and wanted to “kill” the president.
🚨🚨 The alleged shooter in Minneapolis posted a deranged YouTube video before the shooting showing Jesus on a target board with the words written on a gun:
— Illinois Review (@IllinoisReview) August 27, 2025
“Where is your God?”
“Kill Donald Trump” pic.twitter.com/6kHE5s9MdL
Anti-Social Media – MSNBC
Yes, those people praying are CERTAINLY the problem!
For reasons that are rather clear, we once again were treated to a collection of media wizards who were deeply offended at the concept of people lending prayers following a tragedy. Jen Psaki, for one, was particularly bitter about the practice.
Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does not end school shootings. prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) August 27, 2025
She later followed this up with a desperate attempt to deflect from the realities of the shooter. She went on the air to claim that there would be “narratives” that the shooter was trans, and that the shooter “appeared” to be anti-Trump. No, Jenny, the evidence shows that the shooter WAS a trans individual, and that the shooter WAS anti-Trump. Sorry, the facts interfere with YOUR narrative.
Jen Psaki in tears,
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) August 28, 2025
“You’re going to start seeing narratives…about how the shooter was trans. You’re going to see narratives about the shooter appeared to be anti-Trump…”
It doesn’t “appear” Jen, it’s a fact
pic.twitter.com/1nUDMVo1p0
DNC PR Firm – CNN
We see far more aggression towards those who pray than towards a killer of children.
Also taking up the battle against the devout who dared to pray following this attack was Dana Bash. The CNN hostess gave all Democrat talking points airtime and invited Amy Klobuchar on to also politicize the shooting. Then, after watching the Mayor of Minneapolis rage about those of faith, she echoed his disturbing position.
"Forget about thoughts and prayers. These kids were literally praying when they were murdered through a church window.”
"If a bunch of kids praying in a church and shot down through the windows of that church and and locked into that by a madman isn't enough to make people move, I just don't know what is anymore," @SenAmyKlobuchar tells me on @InsidePolitics pic.twitter.com/WF1WdC0DTE
— Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) August 27, 2025
News Avoidance Syndrome – USA TODAY
Moving away from the shooter, those other guys are really bad!
The national newspaper really strained the effort to dodge mentioning the trans aspect to the extreme. Wanting to avoid addressing the shooter outright, instead, the paper strove to find any other influence with which to lay blame. One was to invoke ICE raids, as a means of showing churches have become a target…in some bizarre effort at deflection.
USA Today refused to report that the Minnesota shooter was transgender, but they somehow found a way to shoehorn a claim that ICE is causing attacks on churches into their article.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) August 28, 2025
You can't make this stuff up. pic.twitter.com/vd5JksGnIk
Pre-Written Field Reports – ABC NEWS
Okay, Mary? Are you aware what the current controversy involving President Trump has been?!
At ABC News' “World News Tonight,” Mary Bruce was covering the Minnesota attack, and she went to find blame where she was certain it would be found – the White House. Yes, she managed to find a way to claim President Trump bore some sort of responsibility.
ABC’s @MaryKBruce, on the verge of tears, excoriates President Trump and anyone who’s “not” shown “the political will...to take meaningful action on gun reforms” and use “the weight and the heft of his administration behind doing something to meaningfully address this epidemic in… pic.twitter.com/PcT6ATe6mD
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) August 27, 2025
In her zeal to cast this blame, what was lost on the seasoned newswoman was that she was attempting to blame the man who is currently on a mission to (are you paying attention, Mary?), end crime. In D.C., the effort to send National Guard troops into the district has led to a sharp drop in crimes, including an extended period with a lack of homicides.
Oh, and in addition to that, Ms. Bruce, members of the press - such as yourself - have been raging at the president for daring to address crime issues.
Legalized Press-titution – CNN
Taking care not to offend a mass murderer.
In one of the few examples of the press willing to admit that the shooter was a transgender individual, we have Jake Tapper taking care to go with accuracy -- because worrying that he uses the proper pronouns for a killer is the priority, when detailing the news of children attacked and murdered.
"Robin Westman's mother applied to change her child's name in 2019. It was at one point Robert Paul Westman. But since she identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification was underage, it's now Robin Westman."
Jake Tapper wants you to use the correct pronouns of the school shooter.
— MRC NewsBusters (@newsbusters) August 28, 2025
Children were killed and this is what he's concerned about? pic.twitter.com/EIFCNiRrCm
Matching Media Memorandum – VARIOUS OUTLETS
Getting this wrong could lead to all manner of social upheaval for these news sources!
As the reality of the killer being trans crept across the journo-sphere, many other outlets undertook what was seen as the most important aspect of this news story: Get those pronouns expressed properly!
🚨🚨Outlets like Newsweek, WaPo and the Daily Mail are referring to the Catholic school shooter by his preferred pronouns.
— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) August 27, 2025
He changed his name from Robert to Robin in 2019 because he identified as a girl. He killed an 8 and 10 year old today. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/q2nkxfyexS
Pounce of Prevention – THE DAILY BEAST
With a story of this magnitude, the worst aspect is that Republicans notice!
Leave it to this septic news outlet to turn its focus on what it prefers to lay the blame upon - anyone on the political Right. As a result, the Beast managed to find what was really offensive about this school shooting - people on the Right noticed the shooter was a trans individual!
What these wizards at the Beast fail to grasp is that in saying this, they are ultimately admitting that the press does not want to address that reality.
MAGA has seized on reports that the 23-year-old who opened fire on children as they prayed inside a Minneapolis Catholic school is transgender. https://t.co/pHVa22wHe6
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 27, 2025
