CNN released emails from a network producer on Friday that contradict a Florida high school student's claim that the network scripted a question that he was supposed to ask at a televised town hall event this week.
Colton Haab, a survivor of last week's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., said Thursday on Fox News that CNN had initially asked him to "write a speech and ask questions” for the event but that a producer ultimately scripted a question for him. CNN has denied that claim.
According to Business Insider, CNN and Haab agreed on the question that he would ask at the town hall. His father, Glenn Haab, pulled his son out of the event after the network refused to let the student read a lengthy speech.
The Haabs also appeared to provide doctored emails to media outlets to back up the claim that CNN scripted the questions, Business Insider reported. CNN's version of the email showed that the producer wrote she wanted the student to stick to a question "that he submitted," but that phrase was omitted in the version released by the family.
CNN's version of the email:
The Haabs' version of the email:
According to the metadata of the Word document containing the email that was provided to Fox, it appears that Glenn last edited it.
"It is unfortunate that an effort to discredit CNN and the town hall with doctored emails has taken any attention away from the purpose of the event," a CNN spokesman told Business Insider. "However, when presented with doctored email exchanges, we felt the need to set the record straight."
Glenn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CNN releases emails to push back on claim about ‘scripted’ town hall question | TheHill
For the full emails go to
Parkland shooting survivor's family shops doctored CNN emails to media - Business Insider