A student who survived the mass shooting at a Florida school said he pulled out of a town hall meeting because the CNN event was “scripted,” a claim the network strongly denied.
“CNN had originally asked me to write a speech and questions and it ended up being all scripted,” Colton Haab, a Junior ROTC member who shielded other students from gunfire at the Parkland, Fla., school, told WPLG-TV, an ABC affiliate in Miami, on Wednesday evening.
“I expected to be able to ask my questions and give my opinion on my questions,” the 17-year-old Haab told the station, adding that he wanted to talk about using armed military veterans to guard schools.
He eventually declined to participate in Wednesday’s town hall meeting.
“I don’t think that it’s going get anything accomplished,” he said. “It’s not gonna ask the true questions that all the parents and teachers and students have.”
CNN flat-out rejected Haab’s claims the town hall was scripted and invited him on the air to talk about his proposals to enhance school safety.
“There is absolutely no truth to this,” Richard Hudock, CNN’s senior manager of public relations , said in a statement to The Hill. “CNN did not provide or script questions for anyone in last night’s town hall, nor have we ever.”
“After seeing an interview with Colton Haab, we invited him to participate in our town hall along with other students and administrators from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,” Hudock continued. “Colton’s father withdrew his name from participation before the forum began, which we regretted but respected.”
“We welcome Colton to join us on CNN today to discuss his views on school safety,” he added.
The town hall was broadcast Wednesday, exactly one week after 17 people were killed when a former student using an AR-15 assault rifle allegedly opened fire in the school.