Although many celebrities have spoken out against the riots in Baltimore, veteran actor Morgan Freeman has directed a few choice words toward the media for provoking chaos. In a new interview with The Daily Beast, the 77-year-old slams the way media outlets are covering the controversial story.
“Cameras actually distort the story. The story already happened. The story began with policy and apexed with Freddie Gray’s death,” the Oscar winner said. “The story is simple. Gray died in state custody. Unlikely anyone will be punished. (Which explains the riots.) That’s pretty much it. The cameras aren’t actually adding to the ‘story.’ They can’t really clarify the narrative.”
Just in case you missed it, yesterday state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby charged six police officers with the death of Freddie Gray, stating, “No one is above the law.” Freeman continued, “Look at MSNBC, Fox News and CNN. Go between those three. There’s a take, there’s a take and there’s a take. It’s just commentary. CNN wants to be pure news, but the others are just commentary. They’re just commenting on things.”
Despite Freeman’s disapproval with current media coverage, he adds that technological advancements, like cameras and security footage, have been beneficial in telling the true stories behind alleged police brutality.
“The other thing is that technology lets us see behind the scenes a little bit better,” he said. “Police have a standard reaction to shooting somebody. I fear for my life and I fear for my safety. Now, at least you can see, ‘Hey, his hands were up in the air! What part of your safety were you afraid of? The guy was running away, what part of your safety was in danger?’ There was one situation I saw where a cop told a guy to get out of the car, said, ‘Show me your driver’s license,’ and the guy reached back into the car and the cop shot him!”
“Anyway, off the media,” Freeman added. “F— the media.”
Well, there you have it. What do you think of Freeman’s thoughts regarding media coverage in Baltimore and the advances in technology aiding in true journalism? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
