Parkland shooting survivor Colton Haab said that CNN pushed him to ask a scripted question at their gun control town hall Wednesday night, overruling him on the questions he wanted to ask.
“CNN had originally asked me to write a speech and questions and it ended up being all scripted,” Haab, a 17-year-old student at Stoneman Douglas High School, told local news station WPLG-TV. “I expected to be able to ask my questions and give my opinion on my questions.”
“Colton wrote questions about school safety, suggested using veterans as armed school security guards but claims CNN wanted him to ask a scripted question instead, so he decided not to go,” the WLPG-TV reporter said.
CNN disputed Colton’s account of events to the Daily Caller.
“CNN did not provide or script questions for anyone in last night’s town hall, nor have we ever,” a CNN spokesperson told the Daily Caller.
The spokesperson said Haab was supposed to “expand on his original question” about arming teachers, not prepare an extensive speech. The subject of Haab’s speech, CNN’s statement also pointed out, was already covered extensively in the town hall. The dispute caused Haab’s father to pull him from the broadcast.
“I don’t think that [the town hall is] going to get anything accomplished, it’s not going to ask the true questions that all the parents and teachers and students have,” Haab said.
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Haab is a member of the school’s Junior ROTC and heroically shielded students behind kevlar sheets while the shooting was taking place. He had previously said that hero football coach Aaron Weis, who died shielding students during the shooting, could have stopped the shooter if he had a gun on him.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who moderated Wednesday night’s town hall, did not immediately return The Daily Caller’s request for comment regarding Haab’s claim, which was first pointed out by RealClearPolitics. (RELATED: CNN’s Donna Brazile Shared Debate Questions With Clinton Campaign)
Another shooting survivor, 18-year-old Brandon Minoff, previously told Fox News that he believes the media is politicizing the tragedy to push gun control measures.
“I wholeheartedly believe that the media is politicizing this tragedy,” Minoff said on Tuesday. “It seems that gun control laws is the major topic of conversation rather than focusing on the bigger issue of 17 innocent lives being taken at the hands of another human.”
“I know many people who are pro-gun and others who support gun control but it seems that the media is specifically targeting those in support of gun control to make it seem as if they are the majority, and the liberal news outlets are the ones that seem to make the bigger effort to speak to these people, and I’m talking from experience,” Minoff said.
