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Newtown School Board: Trump Should Acknowledge Sandy Hook Shooting

WSHU | By Davis Dunavin
Published April 6, 2017 at 11:48 AM EDT
Robert F. Bukaty
/
AP

The school board in Newtown, Connecticut, wants Donald Trump to acknowledge the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Trump has praised a radio host who claims the shooting was a hoax. The board sent Trump an open letter in February asking him to repudiate that claim.

The letter says the town has been hurt by the viciousness of people who deny the shooting took place. At least three people have been arrested for harassing parents who lost children in the shooting.

Before the election, Trump appeared on a radio show hosted by Alex Jones, who has pushed numerous unfounded conspiracy theories about the shooting as well as dozens of historical events, including 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing. Trump said Jones had an amazing reputation.

The letter asks Trump to acknowledge the reality of the shooting and remove his support from people who claim it didn’t happen. Trump has not responded.

A spokesperson did tell the Columbia Journalism Review that Trump has been clear that the nation is united in confronting hate and evil.

Copyright 2017 WSHU
Davis Dunavin
Davis Dunavin loves telling stories, whether on the radio or around the campfire. He fell in love with sound-rich radio storytelling while working as an assistant reporter at KBIA public radio in Columbia, Missouri. Before coming back to radio, he worked in digital journalism as the editor of Newtown Patch. As a freelance reporter, his work for WSHU aired nationally on NPR. Davis is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism; he started in Missouri and ended up in Connecticut, which, he'd like to point out, is the same geographic trajectory taken by Mark Twain.
See stories by Davis Dunavin

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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