Trump and CNN Part II
The backlash to CNN’s town hall meeting with Donald Trump continues, with the father of the fiasco saying he “stands by” his decision to do it but that there were some “production weaknesses.” That’s like a murderer saying “I’m not sorry I killed them but maybe I should have used a different gun.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/16/cnn-ceo-trump-town-hall-issues.html
This article reports that many CNN employees are embarrassed by the whole affair. Normally one would take that comment with a grain of salt because this is a report by rival network CNBC, but other news outlets have also reported that.
The article also notes that other news networks will most likely do interviews with Trump in the future. That is understandable. After all he is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. However, it is unlikely any of them will do a live town hall.
Meanwhile, the leading newspaper in New Hampshire where the town hall was held editorialized that CNN “fell on its face” calling the town hall a “circus act.”
“If this was CNN’s idea of being prepared for Biff The Bully, it should go into a different line of work.”
However, that isn’t to say all the media critics and observers are condemning the show. A former top executive for rival Fox News, Bill Sammon, says CNN “performed a valuable journalistic service.” In a guest essay in the New York Times, Fox’s former managing editor of its Washington bureau makes the valid point that even if Trump is “abhorrent” and his views “outlandish,” he is the front runner for the GOP nomination.
Yes, it is ‘journalism 101’ as he puts it, or should be, but his argument falls down on several counts. Here’s what he says and here’s why
1) That Trump should be asked “tough questions.” True but that didn’t happen. Trump ran rough-shod over Kaitlin Collins.
2) That the answers Trump gave to some of the questions made news. No, they didn’t. He just repeated the same BS he has been saying for the past several years.
3) That viewers should be presented the facts and presented the candidate so they can make their own assessments. Theoretically that is true. However, in the partisan, hate-filled environment that some in the media (especially Fox) have fostered, that is not what’s happening.
Bottomline: It is hard to believe that a single “mistake” could have serious consequences. But this was not a single mistake. It was a major mistake. And it is one of many by CEO Licht. Licht may have damaged CNN’s reputation beyond repair.
Update: Reporter-now-Anchor Kaitlin Collins has been ‘gifted’ with the choice 9 p.m. news slot on CNN after her ‘performance’ during the CNN Town Hall ‘meeting’ with Donald Trump. Again, while Collins was put in a bad situation with Licht and MAY have done as well as she could put under the circumstances, one has to wonder if this was ‘pay-off’ for doing Licht’s dirty work. CNN anchor/ reporter Jake Tapper was expected to get the position.
Addendum #1: CNN’s chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour took the unusual step of publicly criticizing the decision by Licht at a major journalistic event. At a ceremony honoring her with the prestigious Columbia Journalism Award, she revealed that she had a long conversation with Licht in which he recited his usual litany of ‘excuses’ (my word, not hers). It didn’t change her mind. She couched her words carefully saying she “respectfully” disagreed with the decision.
As a side note to that, Amanpour raised the idea of the news media restricting or limiting coverage of Trump’s “foul lies… witch hunts… and rants” just as the newspapers did in the 1950’s with Joe McCarthy as he spewed his lies and hatred.
Addendum #2: CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy continues to publish his daily media newsletter despite being challenged by CEO Licht for not being “dispassionate” by asking legitimate questions about CNN’s ‘mistakes.’ In his newsletter written after being ‘called on the carpet’ by Licht, he wrote, “Still here and going strong!” What does that tell you?
