Project Veritas' CNN 'whistleblower' claims network is 'pumping out propaganda'
According to Project Veritas, a conservative activist group, an 'undercover recording' of a CNN editorial phone call claims to feature the network’s president, Jeff Zucker, telling staffers to stay focused on covering impeachment of President Trump at the expense of other important news.
Anchor-turned media exec Soledad O’Brien said CNN pundit Brian Stelter “should be ashamed of himself” for comments he made on Sunday comparing upcoming impeachment hearings to an episode of television.
O’Brien, a former CNN anchor, mocked Stelter’s response when he was asked how networks can get Americans interested in impeachment hearings.
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“I also think, episode one so to speak, matters a lot, and I hate to say that because we’re talking about basic democracy at risk here. But from a television perspective, Democrats have to come out strong in that first episode,” Stelter said Sunday on CNN. “For the same reason when we’re watching Netflix or listening to a new podcast, we only choose to keep listening if we’re interested in episode one.”
CNN anchor Ana Cabrera tweeted video of Stelter’s comparison and O’Brien took notice.
“Why is CNN so stupid about important s--t? This is Cillizza-level inanity. Brian should be ashamed of himself,” O’Brien tweeted, referring the often-mocked CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza in the process.
Stelter responded, “Thank you Soledad. Your tweets are always so uplifting. This segment was informed by what a House leadership aide told CNN: ‘The first hour of a hearing and the first hearing has got to be a blockbuster.’ I think that person is right. If you disagree, say so!”
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O’Brien fired back, informing Stelter that her tweet wasn’t intended to be uplifting.
CNN’s Brian Stelter was ripped by Soledad O’Brien for comparing impeachment hearings to the first episode of a TV show.
“They’re intended to be accurate,” she wrote. “A house leadership aide might be – um -- wrong. Maybe good reporting on the issue will drive people to watch. Because it’s important. It’s not a game show and you should stop treating it as such.”
Stelter then declared that he’s “never” treated impeachment as a game show.
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“But you know -- given your line of work! -- that this event is happening on multiple levels. On one level: democracy. On another level: television. Multiple things, all true at the same time,” Stelter wrote.
CNN was mocked earlier this year for revealing Democratic debate lineups with a game-show style “draw,” and the liberal network has also aired “CNN Quiz Show” in which anchors compete against each other.
Stelter was also widely criticized on Sunday when he failed to mention the hot mic tape of ABC News anchor Amy Robach admitting her network refused to air her reporting on Jeffrey Epstein during his “Reliable Sources” media program.
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