CHRIS HAYES (HOST): Perhaps by this point in the tale you won't be surprised to learn the story is bunk. One part of it is true. Long and his family are being detained by Turkish authorities. But a State Department official confirmed to Long's family and to The Intercept, who did fantastic reporting on this, it is not terrorism-related. “We are aware of Mr. Long's case and are not aware he has been formally charged with a crime.” In fact, according to The Intercept, Long and his family are being detained on immigration violations when he attempted to enter Turkey seeking to work. And get this. His detention may well have been triggered by, drum roll, the fact he was on the U.S. no-fly list to begin with. Long's American lawyer says Saadiq and his family were detained by Turkey because they are all on the no-fly list. This is what accounts for the family's detention in Turkey. Saadiq Long, who served his country for more than ten years in the armed services, was first tagged with suspicion by a secretive no-fly list due clearly at least in part to his faith. And it was that suspicion plus his faith that made him a plausible target to be smeared as a man who just up and joined the death cult ISIS. And now his name appears next to ISIS in literally hundreds of articles and tweets. His face is under an ISIS headline on Mediaite and those other sites basically forever unless those outlets show a little bit of contrition and change it. The Daily Caller today acknowledged that the feds say there are no terror ties, but the outlet characterized reporting as a new detail. Folks, this is what Islamophobia means. It means a taint of suspicion that attaches to millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of people who practice a faith because of the acts of a few of their co-religionists. Here in America in our history we've seen Jews decried as communists, subversives, anarchists and a menace that will infiltrate the state and the media from the inside. We've seen Catholics decried as fundamentally hostile to American values, incapable of assimilating and treacherously taking their orders from a foreign power. Now it is Muslims who find themselves vilified. The very definition of bigotry is taking the actions or traits of a few people, of a race or faith or creed, and generalizing to all of them. American politics and frankly American media are currently in the grip of a deep-seated bigotry. Donald Trump sure as heck isn't helping, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking he is the cause because Donald Trump had nothing to do with this story. And I'm sure the countless editors and writers who passed it along don't think of themselves as bigots. But they unambiguously aided the worst kind of bigotry. And every last one of them should be ashamed.

Previously:

How The Media Fell For A Lie That A Muslim-American Veteran Was Arrested For Connection With ISIS

On MSNBC, Muslim Activist Linda Sarsour Explains How All Forms Of Extremism Should Be Concerning

Fox's Juan Williams Calls Out Sean Hannity For “Inspiring Fear And Discrimination Against” Muslim Refugees