While reporting on the midair crash in Washington, DC, world news outlet CNN was heavily criticized for reporting that there were “no VIPs” onboard the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with American Airlines Flight 5342.
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Congressional reporter Matt Laslo took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out CNN for its reporting on the Black Hawk helicopter occupants.
“CHANGE YOUR LEXICON,” Laslo posted. “We need to be very clear here, according to [a US Army] official, there were no VIPs aboard this flight…” [CNN] dispassionately reports. “We are told, instead, it was 3 Army crew members..”
CHANGE YOUR LEXICON:
— Matt Laslo (@MattLaslo) January 30, 2025
“We need to be very clear here, according to an @USArmy official, there were no VIPs aboard this flight…” @cnn dispassionately reports. “We are told, instead, it was 3 Army crew members..” pic.twitter.com/319STecZpo
Laslo stated in a separate post, “Every soldier’s a VIP — outside of Washington. My colleagues have forgotten humanity, even as they ace their AP tests… Every dead [soldier is] a VIP — ask those burying them.”
Other X users took to Lasko’s posts to agree with the journalist’s thoughts on CNN’s Black Hawk VIPs reporting. “That is a really outrageous – and unfortunately very DC – thing to say,” one X user stated.
Another X user pointed out, “While technically correct, that’s a bit rude. Should have said something like ‘no designated VIPs.’”
The devastating midair crash occurred around 9 p.m. local time near Ronald Reagan National Airport just outside of Washington, DC, on Wednesday. The Black Hawk helicopter was reportedly conducting a training exercise when it collided with American Airlines Flight 5342. After bursting into flames, both aircraft fell into the Potomac River.
Search and rescue efforts continued throughout the night; as of 6 a.m. EST, 30 bodies have been recovered. No survivors have been found.
The Washington DC Plane Collison is the First Major U.S. Commerical Flight Accident In Almost 16 Years
According to CBS News, the tragic collision in Washington, DC, is the first major U.S. commercial crash in nearly two decades.
The last major U.S. commercial air crash occurred in February 2009. At that time, a Continental Airlines flight out of Newark, New Jersey, crashed into a house as it was approaching Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, New York. A total of 49 people were killed in the accident.
It was further reported that the last major incident involving American Airlines happened in November 2001 near John F. Kennedy International Airport. During that accident, American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300, crashed shortly after its takeoff, resulting in the deaths of 265 people. It crashed in the Belle Harbor area of the Rockaways in the New York City borough of Queens.