Florida school shooting survivor responds to right-wing conspiracy theories: “No one's paying me to do this”

Rachel Catania: “I'm going to make sure that those 17 innocent people who had their lives taken from them did not die for no reason. No one's paying me to do this.”

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

From the February 21 edition of CNN Newsroom With John Berman and Poppy Harlow:

JOHN BERMAN (HOST): Rachel, what do you say to those people, those conspiracy theorists, out there who say that you're an actor or say that you're being put up to this by liberal lawmakers? Is anyone forcing you to come on TV and talk right now? 

RACHEL CATANIA (SCHOOL SHOOTING SURVIVOR): No, not at all. I'm not getting paid for this. I want to come out here on behalf of my city and my town and just spread the message on behalf of those who can't. And I'm going to make sure that those 17 innocent people who had their lives taken from them did not die for no reason. No one's paying me to do this. I'm not a crisis actor. I'm not even sure those are real. No, they're not real.

Previously:

Pro-Trump media launch attacks on student survivors of Florida school shooting

Tucker Carlson complains about the “moral blackmail” of student survivors speaking out about gun violence

Gateway Pundit’s White House correspondent accuses mass shooting survivors of “milking the deaths of their peers”

CNN's Jack Kingston doubles down, says anti-gun groups are using Florida school shooting victims for politics