CNN's Brian Stelter grilled by teenage journalist about network's opinionated news anchors
The 'Reliable Sources' host recently suggested that there are no anti-Trump news outlets trying to 'tear down' the president
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN's media guru Brian Stelter faced an unexpected grilling from a teenage journalist about his network's overly opinionated anchors.
On Sunday, NewsBusters spotted the interview Stelter had done in late July with "Raving Ryan" host Ryan Anastasio, a Connecticut-based high-schooler who asserted during their lengthy discussion that people can "probably learn more" about current events from newspapers or watching news programs on the broadcast networks than watching cable news.
Stelter responded by saying "it depends," suggesting Anastasio's claim about cable news is "too broad of a brush" and acknowledged there are shows "that are almost purely entertainment" that "only bring on one side."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Do you think CNN does that too?" Anastasio interrupted.
"Uhhh... well, what shows are you talking about?" a puzzled Stelter asked.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think at times, you do have some very opinion-based shows at night time like you do on Fox," Anastasio explained.
"So, which ones?" Stelter responded.
"I’d argue probably "Cuomo Prime Time," "Don Lemon," the 17-year-old reporter answered. "I wouldn’t say those are more news; I’d say a lot of them are more opinion-based shows, wouldn’t you agree?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The "Reliable Sources" host said Cuomo and Lemon's shows are "newscasts that have opinionated voices on them" but argued that terms like "newscast" and "opinion show" are outdated to describe CNN's programming.
"I think that, you know, there are a bunch of cable newscasts, news programs, that are just newscasts. But then most of them are more in between, right?" Stelter explained. "A typical hour during the day will have correspondents, but also analysts, which is more of a news analyst assessing what’s going on. And then commentators, which is getting much more towards opinion. And then probably a politician or two, which clearly you’re getting a partisan opinion from a politician. And then maybe an advocacy group CEO or something, clearly an opinion position arguing for a point of view. And I think a typical hour has all of that or many of those aspects. So then what do you call that show?"
Stelter went on to call the typical cable news program a "rolling talk show about the news."
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"Think about CNN in July 2020. It is just like wall-to-wall doctors, nurses, health experts, you know, pandemic coverage. That’s exactly what we should be right now," Stelter said. "By 10 or 11 p.m. ... Yeah, you are going to get some opinion voices as well, trying to call out the Trump administration’s failures, and that’s totally appropriate, in my view, because it’s like a rolling talk show about the news."
The CNN host then attempted to pivot Anastasio's observation about his opinionated colleague Chris Cuomo and say that it's "big newsmakers" who come on "Cuomo Prime Time" who express their opinions, which makes news.
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He did, however, admit the existence of the hyper-partisan monologues given by CNN anchors.
"When they say 'CNN has more point of view, CNN has more opinion now,' they’re talking about the monologues that the anchors are doing. Is that some of what you’re referring to, the essays that the anchors are doing?" Stelter asked.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Yeah," Anastasio answered.
"I think the essays are like one of the big changes about CNN in the Trump years. And I think that they are a necessary addition to respond to all the lying and bulls--- and the indecency that’s going on," Stelter continued. "Think about it this way. If President Trump didn’t lie for a week, if he just told the truth, tried to play it straight, focused on the pandemic ... There probably wouldn’t be a lot of monologues and essays. I mean, there would be on other topics, but, you know, I would not feel as compelled to start my show by saying he’s in denial about the pandemic. ... The reason I start my show that way is I feel like I need to lay it out for the viewer and show them with soundbites and proof and evidence of what’s wrong, what’s going on. And I think sometimes the best way to do that is an essay or is a monologue."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added that the partisan monologues made by CNN anchors are like "a newspaper column."
Stelter, who has been deemed by critics as the media's "hall monitor," recently suggested that there are no media outlets who attempt to "tear down" President Trump the way right-leaning outlets attempt to "tear down" Joe Biden.