Fox News’s Greg Gutfeld, and co-host of “America’s Newsroom” Bill Hemmer discussed the role of the media in their coverage of the Orlando terrorist attack on Monday’s “The Five.”
Gutfeld said, “My problem with terror is that our job and ISIS’ aims overlap. ISIS is here via proxies whether they are lone wolves or not, they are here, but they use the media to expand their brand so that hostage incidents make ISIS bigger than they really are by appearances and therefore their size becomes a reality, we are terrified of them.”
“I think about this and I understand there is research that shows when you publicize suicides and homicide suicides there is an immediate copycat effect,” Gutfeld said. “These murderous acts increase and they spread like a contagion. And I keep think to myself, and I know that we have to do our jobs, but can the media stop providing ISIS with free PR and stop showing this human turd over and over again? His face does not need to be seen. Shouldn’t the media somehow examine how they report this?”
WATCH: (Begins at 10:50)
Hemmer replied, “I think the American public is scared and rightfully so. I think they are angry and rightfully so. I think they feel deeply for the people here in Orlando and Boston and San Bernardino and Chattanooga and Fort Hood and I understand that and I think you do as well. We have an obligation, Greg, to figure out what the story is and to get as many facts forward as we can. And that’s why we’re here.”
“There are millions of viewers all over the country Greg trying to figure out why did this happen and how did we not catch it beforehand and could we have caught it. The emotions run rampant down here, but I’ll tell you I saw the community in Fort Hood, I saw the community in Boston and you’re going to see this community in Orlando too showing their American strength through all of this,” Hemmer said. “We, as the media, we’ve got a job to do and yes perhaps the attention goes away from him for a time once we get some more answers, but right now, what was he up to? He was 29 years old and was born in New York. How the hell did he get to this point?”
Gutfeld added, “I just don’t want to see his effin face.”
