If you happened to come across MSNBC earlier this week then you may have caught former New Mexico Republican Governor and Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson being asked about Aleppo, the Syrian city that is at the center of the growing conflicts between Bashar al-Assad and anti-government forces.
Ostensibly, Johnson had no idea what Aleppo is. Here is the entire segment:
As you can see in the video, the panel was stunned that Johnson didn’t know anything about it. However, Eliot Higgins, visiting research associate at King’s College London, tweeted out something interesting:
Gary Johnson’s “What is Aleppo?” moment currently getting more coverage in US media than actual events in Aleppo ever do. #WhatIsAleppo
— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) September 8, 2016
“Gary Johnson’s “What is Aleppo?” moment currently getting more coverage in US media than actual events in Aleppo ever do.
#WhatIsAleppo.”
Just take a look at the headlines:
‘What Is Aleppo?’ Gary Johnson Asks, in an Interview Stumble
Aleppo, explained for non-experts and Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson Reveals Aleppo Is Not On His Radar & That He Doesn’t Even Know What It Is
Interestingly enough, not even the New York Times knew what Aleppo is, as this tweet shows:
The Times getting the city wrong while criticizing Johnson for not knowing Aleppo is way worse than his mistake pic.twitter.com/IU079d1Xot
— STU BURGUIERE (@WorldOfStu) September 8, 2016
This was indeed a blunder made by Gary Johnson, but when the media makes constant blunders (John McCain’s health vs. Hillary Clinton’s health) they really shouldn’t be talking.
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