Metalcore band Hatebreed does not, in fact, breed hatred.
“Our music brings people of all races together all over the world,” the band members said in a tweet, which also slammed CNN and a writer for referring to the group as a “white power band.”
In a CNN article exploring Sikh temple shooting suspect Wade Page’s involvement in the white supremacist music scene, Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Upper Midwest Region Director Lonnie Nasatir included Hatebreed while discussing the “100 to 150 white power bands” in the U.S. at any given time.
Nasatir may have been misled by the title of Hatebreed’s 2006 album, Supremacy. In a series of tweets, the band firmly denied that it preaches hatred with its music and demanded a retraction and apology from the news network.
“Please everyone tweet @CNN & @ChicagoADL demanding that they remove our name from their article. Help us find a contact for Lonnie Nasatir.”
“Everyone stay relentless on @chicagoadl @cnn & @cnnopinion until they remove our name from their article & print a retraction/apology.”
“Writers like Lonnie Nasatir are the reason why the American media is looked at as a complete joke. Shame on @CNN & @chicagoadl @cnnopinion.”
Many of the band’s fans joined in with the complaints, with some suggesting that Hatebreed should sue CNN for defamation and slander. In total, more than 1,800 tweets mentioning “Hatebreed” and “CNN” were sent in the last 24 hours, according to social media search engine Topsy.
It took CNN around 30 minutes to remove Hatebreed’s name from Wednesday’s article and post a retraction. The band members were pleased, but they demanded an apology from Nasatir as well. Hatebreed eventually received one.
“Hatebreed was mistakenly included in the list of white supremacist hate bands in an opinion piece for CNN,” the ADL chapter Nasatir oversees wrote in a statement on Facebook. “That reference has been removed from CNN and we sincerely regret that the band appeared in our piece.”
The fire has not yet died out, with Twitter users taking shots at CNN after the fact.
“Psssst @cnn, try to do some research before you make a blanket statement about bands,” @alifeinwords wrote.
Justin Bartlett tweeted, “Can’t say that I am a huge Hatebreed fan – but, CNN can go suck it. Get your facts straight!”
It’s not the first time in recent memory that CNN has run false information in one of its stories. The network incorrectly reported that President Obama’s health care reform law had been struck down by the Supreme Court in June.
Photo of Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta by Radu Adam/Flickr
