LA Times' op-ed accuses CNN of selling out to ‘MAGA cult,’ angered by network's moderate push

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Brian Stelter says goodbye to CNN media show 'Reliable Sources'

Brian Stelter hosted the final episode of CNN's media show "Reliable Sources" on Sunday.

Los Angeles Times contributing opinion writer Kurt Bardella scolded CNN over reports that the network’s top brass is looking to "dial down the prime-time partisanship," claiming this means CNN will be pandering to conservatives and Republicans, who have "declared war on truth."

Following CNN’s firing of "Reliable Sources" host Brian Stelter last week, Bardella, a Democratic adviser who once worked for Republicans, expressed frustration with the cable channel's effort to adopt a more moderate tone. In addition to decrying the idea of the network relaxing its partisan rhetoric, Bardella slammed a report that CNN executives want Republican leaders on their programs.

"Puck News recently revealed that CNN executives visited with Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy and John Thune to ‘convince highly skeptical Republican leaders’ that ‘they would get a fair hearing on his network, and that they should come back on its airwaves,’" he wrote. 

Bardella then condemned the move, stating, "It seems the ‘most trusted name in news’ is eager to pander to a political party that’s completely detached from reality, whose elected officials have declared war on truth and fact and promoted lies about everything from a free and fair election to a deadly pandemic."

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L.A. Times columnist slammed CNN for looking to get rid of its more partisan content, claiming it's trying to appease conservatives.  (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for WarnerMedia)

The columnist expressed severe doubt that talking to lawmakers from across the aisle would benefit CNN in any way, particularly with potential Republican viewers. "Does the network really believe the MAGA cult will start liking Don Lemon or Jake Tapper if they have more Trumpers on their shows?" he asked. 

Bardella also wondered, "Do they think the MAGA cult will stop attacking them and calling them ‘fake news’ if Jim Jordan and Ted Cruz started appearing regularly on their broadcasts?"

He answered his own questions with a resounding no, claiming, "there is no universe in which any of those things will happen. The network could have a MAGA Republican on every show and the MAGA crowd would still trash it. CNN could have the most ardent Trump defenders on every panel and they would still paint it as the enemy." 

To bolster his claim, he recalled how even though "MAGA propagandists like Kayleigh McEnany, Jason Miller, Jeffrey Lord, Rick Santorum, Ben Ferguson, Steve Cortes, Corey Lewandowski" have been "on the CNN payroll," "the attacks against CNN led by Trump only intensified as the years went on."

Bardella explained how CNN has fallen off the righteous journalistic path with this moderate push. He first stated, "The entire purpose of a news organization is to protect truth and fact, to keep its audience tethered to reality, and to expose what is wrong. Telling the truth is not partisan. Reporting on facts is not partisan."

The CNN Headquarters is pictured in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., October 29, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Aluka Berry

Subsequently, he summed up CNN’s latest strategy, writing, "The greatest disservice you can do to is place the liars on the same playing field as those who are committed to the truth." 

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"The only thing both-siderism can do is speed the further decline of our democracy by telling the public that there is no distinction between facts and falsehoods," Bardella declared, adding that "Republicans and Democrats are no longer two sides of the same coin. One side believes in democracy. The other is trying to expel it."

Continuing to embark on this absolutist framework with his side as the good side, he also claimed, "One side believes in the rule of law, the other is waging a war against it. One side believes in voting and the peaceful transition of power, the other accepts violence."

The columnist concluded his rebuke of CNN, stating, "In a democracy, the core job of the media is to inform so that the people can make real and meaningful choices — and that is not a partisan mission." It appears Bardella is convinced CNN is about to abandon that journalistic responsibility simply by working to be more objective. 

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In his column, Bardella accused CNN of looking to gain Republican viewers, who have "declared war on truth." (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)