Report: The two networks that ignored attack on ICE facility
'This glaring omission is particularly notable given the two news organizations' relentlessly critical coverage of ICE and persistent warnings about right-wing extremism and violence,' the piece read.
The attack saw 11 suspects dressed in all-black military fatigues shoot fireworks at the facility 'as part of an organized attack,' the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas said on Tuesday.
When an Alvarado police officer responded to the scene, one alleged defendant in nearby woods shot the officer in the neck area, officials added. Another alleged assailant across the street fired 20 to 30 rounds at unarmed correctional officers who stepped outside.
The suspects left behind pointed graffiti that read 'ICE pig' and '[Expletive] you pigs' on vehicles and a guard structure in the parking lot at the facility.
The injured officer was treated and released following the shooting. The FBI has since arrested 10 of the 11 suspects, with a final suspect still at large. MSNBC did not cover the ambush at all, while CNN only devoted a single sentence to the attack, Mediaite said, highlighting the networks' anti-ICE coverage.
'Searches for mentions of ICE on air may not turn up any coverage at all of the attempted murder of innocent law enforcement officers,' the piece said, 'but they do yield plenty of segments about other protests of the organization, MSNBC's Catherine Rampell ranting about its employees 'potentially like beating people, and committing violence,' and a CNN interview of a Latino man lamenting that his 'own people' were being 'arrested and harassed by the ICE agents.'
'Nothing about bullets flying by heads, though.' Both networks extensively covered news of the deadly floods in central Texas, which began the same day as the Alvarado attack.
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