Pitts misses mark on Parkland shooting aftermath

Leonard Pitts’ Feb. 28 commentary “What’s going on with 42 percent of Republicans?” refers to a study by Gallup-Knight finding 42 percent have a negative view of media, and 66 percent say media do a poor job separating fact from fiction. He says “I am willing, even eager, to have the discussion about what the news media must do to earn back the public’s trust.”

Regarding the Florida school massacre, he says, “Current law allowed a disaffected 19-year-old to get his hands on an AR-15 rifle and mow people down at random.”

Current law did not “allow” either to happen. There were red flags all around that boy and, if all current laws had been enforced, he wouldn’t have been able to acquire that gun and kill those people.

Pitts claims 42 percent of Republicans believe “the butchery never happened” and the students “crisis actors” out to embarrass the NRA and says: “I am not interested in earning those people’s trust. Frankly they should be asking what they must do to earn mine.” Wow! What happened to “willing and eager”? This guy is phony as they come and doesn’t change my opinion of the media.

Pitts’ commentary appears on the same page under a cartoon showing a sleazy slob wearing an NRA hat next to a bleary eyed boy at a desk holding an assault rifle and the sleaze saying “teacher’s pet.” Now that IS fake news and not what I would ever expect of my hometown newspaper the Olympian.

This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Pitts misses mark on Parkland shooting aftermath."