NBC News reporter ripped for ‘narcissism’ as he cites own headlines to blame shooting on conservatives

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NBC News reporter ripped for ‘grandstanding’ about people not heeding his warnings about conservatives

Conservatives on Twitter mocked NBC News senior reporter Ben Collins for lamenting the fact that audiences don’t seem to be heeding his warnings about right-wingers’ alleged anti-transgender language.

Conservatives on Twitter mocked NBC News reporter Ben Collins Tuesday for lamenting the fact that audiences don’t seem to be heeding his warnings about right-wingers’ alleged anti-transgender language, which he claimed led to the recent deadly shooting at a gay bar in Colorado, and suggesting conservatives want transgender people to die.

Collins appeared on MSNBC to lament what he called the "internet’s far-right machine" looking to shut down LGBTQ events and spread threatening language. He claimed this machine includes conservative groups and Republican lawmakers, who are contributing to the rhetoric. The "Morning Joe" segment was clearly pre-planned, as a graphic appeared on the screen of his and other NBC News stories about the subject as he read out his own stories.

Though he suggested that conservatives prompted that deadly shooting that killed five people with their rhetoric, critics mocked his "sanctimonious" tone as he expressed exasperation over his own past coverage of the issue.

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NBC News reporter Ben Collins laments the fact that people aren't caring about his reporting about the alleged threats right-wing groups pose to the LGBTQ community.   (Screenshot/MSNBC)

The reporter said, "I just wanna say though, am I doing something wrong here?" He then read off a bevy of headlines he had written on the alleged right-wing threat for the "last six months." 

He made it about himself, asking, "What could I have done different? Seriously. As reporters, what can we do different? Because there are five dead people in a strip mall, because that’s the only place they felt safe as gay or trans people in this town in Colorado Springs. And I am trying to thread this needle here. I’m trying to say this is happening."

He continued, "And I’m going to fail, by the way. I’m gonna, you know, freak out because it’s happening, because I wake up and see there are five dead bodies. But I think we need to have a come to Jesus moment here as reporters. Are we more afraid of being on Breitbart for saying that trans people deserve to be alive, or are we more afraid of the dead people?"

He added, "'Cause I’m more afraid of the dead people. I don’t want to wake up on a Sunday and see that all these headlines came to fruition."

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A police officer exits his car near a crime scene at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 where a shooting occurred late Saturday night. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Collins said he didn't care if right-wing media outlets attacked him for the subject, and sure enough, critics ripped him, saying he was making the tragedy about himself.

Independent video journalist Richie McGinniss tweeted, "Every reporter in America agrees that trans ppl deserve to live. If not plz name one who doesn’t. I’m more afraid of bad faith actors who sit behind a desk and blame mass shooting deaths on people they disagree with- it poisons our discourse."

The Spectator contributing editor Stephen L. Miller tore into Collins, writing, "There is no one anywhere saying Trans people don't deserve to be alive. You're a terminally online smear merchant using 5 dead bodies you know nothing about to grandstand for your career."

Grabien founder Tom Elliott called it "exploitative, soulless narcissism."

National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker added, "You aren't a reporter. You've always been an activist."

Lawyer and conservative commentator Will Chamberlain wrote, "Now THIS guy is sanctimonious." He subsequently tweeted, "Someone needs to tell @oneunderscore__that no matter how he rationalizes being an apologist for those who sexualize children, he is not and will never be the good guy."

The Federalist senior editor David Harsanyi tweeted, "This isn't an issue I typically cover. But the more these illiberal hacks try to chill speech, the more important I think it is to note that the mutilation of children is state-sponsored child abuse."

Flowers and a sign reading "love over hate" lay near a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 where a shooting occurred late Saturday night.  (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

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Collins, who covers misinformation and appeared to believe last week that Twitter was about to meet its demise under new owner Elon Musk, retweeted several accounts praising him for his remarks.

Collins didn't respond to a request for additional comment.