The Thursday three network morning shows of ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, and CBS Mornings could not and therefore did not downplay the violence that occurred overnight at Columbia University as pro-Palestinian agitators occupied Butler Library during finals week. However, they did manage to sanitize the message used to justify that violence, as it was mostly claimed they simply want an end to the Gaza War.
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Finally, over at ABC, Aaron Katersky managed to allude to the fact that the demonstrators were not simply anti-war activists, but did not provide any specifics, “Acting Columbia President Claire Shipman said the building was defaced and damaged in disturbing ways and with disturbing slogans. Eighty people are in custody, most believed to be unaffiliated with the university.”
Katersky concluded by lamenting, “So, what happened Wednesday is only going to complicate the school's attempt to restore $400 million in federal research funds that the Trump administration has pulled, Robin.”
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