By now, the tendency of news shows to frame seemingly inflammatory suggestions in the form of a question is well-known. Jon Stewart memorably riffed on what he called the "Cavuto," named after the Fox News anchor's love of the tactic.
Monday's "Fox & Friends" featured a doozy of a Cavuto in a discussion about the media coverage death of Michael Brown:
"Is 'Unarmed Teen' Description Misleading?"
Fox News contributor Linda Chavez was the one asking this question. There's a very easy answer. Michael Brown was a teenager. He was unarmed. Therefore, describing him as an "unarmed teen" is the definition of "factual."
Chavez, however, thought it wasn't exactly describing the situation correctly.
"That description in and of itself actually colors the way in which we look at this story," she said, as if people weren't supposed to take anything from the fact that Brown was unarmed when he was killed. "We're talking about an 18-year-old man who is 6'4" and weighs almost 300 pounds, who is videotaped just moments before the confrontation with a police officer strong arming an employee and robbing a convenience store."
So, in Chavez's framing, Brown's height and weight put him on an equal footing with the man who shot him. She didn't explain why, if that was so, Brown is dead.