Gov. Kristi Noem hits CNN for report targeting South Dakota's COVID response: 'They want to sensationalize'

close

Video

Gov. Kristi Noem hits CNN for recent report about her state's handling of COVID

The South Dakota Republican accuses the media of being agenda-driven.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is taking aim at CNN over a recent report it ran about her state's ongoing COVID response. 

"What was interesting about this story was it was completely not factual," Noem told Fox News Digital.

Earlier this month, CNN published a story with the headline, "Omicron may be on the decline, but this South Dakota hospital is still feeling its peak," citing a "60% [rise] in cases" at the Monument Health hospital in Rapid City.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE CRISIS: KRISTI NOEM RIPS ‘RIDICULOUS’ MEDIA FOR SUGGESTING BIDEN CRITICS SIDE WITH PUTIN 

"South Dakota doesn’t have any mask rules. Gov. Kristi Noem has refused to implement such mandates, or other restrictions, like limiting gatherings and events, leaving residents to make any safety decisions for themselves," CNN wrote. 

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Noem fired back on Twitter, writing, "@CNN falsely claimed that hospitalizations are ‘surging’ in Pennington County. Hospitalizations are in fact down 32% since the Omicron peak 3 weeks ago. This political hit job ignored the mountains of factual data that we sent to them. We are demanding a correction."

In an interview with Fox News Digital at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Noem claimed CNN "always gets everything wrong."

CNN TAPS NEW PRESIDENT, CURRENT EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF ‘THE LATE SHOW’ TO REPLACE JEFF ZUCKER

"They talked about COVID cases spiking when actually they have been declining, and were less than half of what they were reporting in their story. They did not focus at all on the people in the hospital that were doing better. In fact, they violated some HIPPA rules for some individuals that were there, and they did not work in cooperation with even that health system to make sure that they told a factual report of what was happening on the ground. So this is the kind of media story that we see a lot of, especially out of CNN, and they want to sensationalize something rather than make sure that people have information, which is truly supposed to be the job of an unbiased media," she said.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (AP Photo/John Raoux)

The South Dakota governor also weighed in on the media's evolution from the Trump era and into the second year of the Biden presidency. 

"I would say that we've just seen the media overstep and be untruthful for years," Noem said. "It's gotten extremely bad since 2020 when the virus came to the United States. I think we've seen the media be used and used fear to motivate people and to promote an agenda."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"So in my leadership in South Dakota, we've tried to be truthful, get facts in people's hands so that they can make the best decisions for their families, and to make sure that they know that we trust them. I think many times I find in my interactions with many at the national media level is that they aren't telling the true story. They aren't telling all the facts in context that gives people the best information that they need to make the best decisions for their lives," Noem told Fox News Digital. 

CNN did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment. 

Fox Nation is the Featuring Sponsor of CPAC 2022. Watch CPAC speeches live and on-demand on Fox Nation. Sign up using promo code CPAC to receive a 30-day free trial. Offer ends April 30, 2022.