If you see anything about President Trump’s claim that Chicago is the ‘world’s most dangerous city,’ it will probably be in a headline without any pushback.
The Guardian headline pushes back, but it’s not a truth sandwich like the one on our post:
Never mind that there is no official definition for “dangerous.” We, like The Guardian, use “violent” to represent the murder rate. That makes Birmingham, AL; Jackson, MS; Memphis, TN; and St. Louis, MO the top four dangerous cities in the U.S.
The four cities of populations larger than 100,000 with the highest murder rates in 2024 are in Republican states: Jackson, Mississippi (78.7 per 100,000 residents), Birmingham, Alabama (58.8), St Louis, Missouri (54.1) and Memphis, Tennessee (40.6).
On Tuesday, Trump called Chicago “the most dangerous city in the world”, and pledged to send military troops there, as well as to Baltimore. “I have an obligation. This isn’t a political thing,” he said at a press conference. “I have an obligation when 20 people are killed over the last two and a half weeks and 75 are shot with bullets.”
When talking about crime in Chicago, Trump regularly refers to the number of people who may have been shot and killed there. But Chicago has a population of about 2.7 million, which is larger than each of the least-populous 15 states. It is roughly the same population as Mississippi. Chicago’s homicide rate for 2024 was 17.5 murders for every 100,000 residents, only a few points higher than that of the state of Louisiana, which was 14.5 per 100,000 in 2024.
The more typical headlines following Trump claims are stenography, like this one from MSN:
Many people fail to read beyond the headline, which is why news organizations should strive to treat Trump lies with a truth sandwich.
Truth Sandwich:
1. Start with the truth. The first frame gets the advantage.
2. Indicate the lie. Avoid amplifying the specific language if possible.
3. Return to the truth. Always repeat truths more than lies.
Hear more in Ep 14 of FrameLab w/@gilduran76https://t.co/cQNOqgRk0w— George Lakoff (@GeorgeLakoff) December 1, 2018
“Avoid retelling the lies. Avoid putting them in headlines, leads or tweets,” Margaret Sullivan wrote of George Lakoff’s advice. “Because it is that very amplification that gives them power.”
Why do I say Trump is lying? To lie is to make an demonstratively and intentional false statement. It’s intentional when a person repeatedly makes the same false claim. Remember, almost a month ago it was Washington DC that was allegedly one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
Read critically.
Point out mass media stenography in your favorite social media channels.
Calling out bad behavior publicly is our primary and most effective method of refutation. It is, in its own way, a form of resistance.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com