Louis Farrakhan ‘far right’? CNN thinks so

In the wake of another social media purge, CNN host Alisyn Camerota described Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan as a ‘far right’ figure on air. Did somebody hand her the wrong script?

Facebook on Thursday announced it would delete several “far right” and “anti-Semitic” pages and permanently ban their creators, the latest in a series of attempts to crack down on those the platform considers “extreme.”

Thursday’s casualties include avowedly right-wing figures such as Milo Yiannopoulos and Paul Joseph Watson, but major media outlets, from The Washington Post to The Atlantic, ran with the “far-right” description of Farrakhan, mindlessly lumping him in with the group.

Though Farrakhan does share some sentiments with elements on the right – his views on people of the Jewish faith, for example – the Nation of Islam has historically associated itself with left-wing causes, such as the civil rights movement.

Farrakhan himself has long-standing ties to the Democratic Party, sharing stages with high-profile party leaders, and even appearing alongside former President Barack Obama in a photo that surfaced last year.

Both outlets were forced to correct their articles when readers pointed out the faulty designation, but apparently not in time for Camerota’s broadcast.

Twitter did not spare her.

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