‘That’s Not a Thing’: Margaret Talev Falsely Claims on CNN That Critical Race Theory Isn’t Taught in K-12 Anywhere in America

Axios managing editor Margaret Talev claimed flatly on CNN on Monday that critical race theory just is not taught at all to K-12 students nationwide, including in Virginia, where there will be a gubernatorial election in just over a few weeks.

During Inside Politics, there was a discussion about Democratic nominee and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe saying in a debate with his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach. I get really tired of everybody running down teachers.”

Soundbites were played of that and Youngkin saying on Fox News last week that “Terry McAuliffe wants to put government, bureaucrats, politicians between parents and their children,” adding that “Terry McAuliffe has sat sit down, be quiet, I don’t care what you think.”

Inside Politics host John King said, “Terry McAuliffe would like to clean up his words again, as he did on the call, but it is difficult in a state where a close election will be determined in the fast-growing northern Virginia suburbs, where you have a lot of parents and a lot of debate about critical race theory and what’s being taught in schools, to have a candidate for governor saying I don’t want to listen to parents or I – I would go side with teachers over parents stepping in it.”

Talev, who is also a CNN analyst, remarked that McAuliffe’s debate remark was “clearly a misstep.”

“Let’s just say for the record, just in case anyone doesn’t know, they don’t teach critical race theory to kids in kids K-12. That’s not a thing anywhere in the country, including in Virginia,” Talev incorrectly said.

“Only for a Republican candidate,” King appeared to joke.

“It is hotly debated but not actually a thing,” Talev said absurdly about the nationally explosive issue that has drawn public statements from unions and official in addition to commentators, pundits and, yes, angry private citizens.

Contrary to Talev’s claim, critical race theory – which teaches that U.S. institutions, as opposed to individuals, are systemically racist – is taught in whole or in part to K-12 students all over the country, including in Virginia.

K-12 schools have repackaged critical race theory, or at least some of its elements, and have called it by another name. But the two largest teacher’s unions have embraced both the theory’s precepts and name. There are countless articles from left-wing writers defending CRT specifically and by name as appropriate and present in schools, and promoting the teaching of it has become a routine cause on MSNBC and CNN. It’s at best quibbling, and at worst deception to claim that there’s no such thing as critical race theory in public schools.

So: critical race theory in schools? Very much a thing. Media honesty about it? Now that is not often a thing.

Watch the clip above, via CNN.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.