A deleted social media post has reignited questions about how major American news organizations describe political unrest, after violence across France left businesses looted, police injured and a historic municipal building in flames.
The images coming out of France were difficult to ignore. Burning vehicles, shattered storefronts, clashes with police and a landmark city hall engulfed in flames painted a picture of widespread disorder.
Yet a social media post from CBS News used a notably restrained word to describe part of the turmoil: “scuffles.”
The wording quickly attracted criticism, drawing comparisons to the controversy surrounding CNN’s coverage of the 2020 unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, when a reporter stood in front of burning vehicles while a headline described the protests as “mostly peaceful.”
