Irony Alert: White House Praises 'Unbiased' CNN as Network Runs Promo Appealing to Democrats

By P.J. Gladnick (Bio | Archive)
October 12, 2009 - 09:14 ET
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(UPDATE: Apparently there was a drowned out Republican voice in the promo. See full update below.)

The irony in this story is so delicious, as NewsBusters' Noel Sheppard would probably describe it, that one must take a bit of time to savor it.

Yesterday, Sheppard posted a story about White House communications director Anita Dunn whining at length on Howard Kurtz's "Reliable Sources" about how supposedly unfair Fox News is. Her appearance on that show was instigated by Dunn's complaints about White House coverage by Fox News in a Time magazine story by Michael Scherer. Among her attacks upon Fox News was the assertion that it wasn't a real news network "the way CNN is." Well, Michael Scherer himself wrote a followup blog post and pointed out the supreme irony of attacking Fox News as biased while CNN was running "Anderson Cooper 360" promos pitching that show as appealing to liberals. First Scherer quotes Anita Dunn from her "Reliable Sources" appearance:

But let's be realistic here, Howie.  You know, they are widely viewed as, you know, part of the Republican Party.  Take their talking points, put them on the air.  Take their opposition research, put them on the air and that's fine. But let's not pretend they're a news network the way CNN is.

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And now the Michael Scherer slam dunk just dripping with absolutely delectable irony:

The ironic part came later, during the commercial break. All morning, CNN has been intermittently running a promo for Anderson Cooper 360, a show that has long billed itself as a classic straight news program with an investigative front man who digs "beyond the headlines" with "many points of view, so you can make up your own mind." The new promo, by contrast, consists of a woman's voice, pitching Cooper's show as, essentially, a liberal alternative to Fox News: "I'm a lifelong Democrat," she says, "and that's why I watch Anderson Cooper." Hmmm. The voice goes on to say that Cooper is the person she can turn to hold "right wing" conservatives accountable. Cooper is not exactly aiming for the political middle ground here.

Anderson Cooper not exactly aiming for the political middle ground is certainly an understatement considering his juvenile "tea bagging" snarks earlier this year. 

Scherer isn't finished. He also casts aspersions upon any claim that MSNBC is somehow unbiased:

But then who is? MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz are committed liberals, increasingly focused on the dual project of holding President Obama to a liberal line and attacking his detractors. Fox News, on the other hand, is well, Fox News. Dunn, on Kurtz's show, made a point of criticizing Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace for "fact checking" an Obama administration official but not its other Republican guests. So it goes.

And in what must be especially painful for both CNN and MSNBC, Scherer posts some cable news ratings:

The ratings tell the story: In September, according to Nielson, the top thirteen cable news shows were on Fox, led by the networks conservative pundits: The O'Reilly Factor (2.6 million households), Sean Hannity (2.1 million), Glenn Beck (2.2 million), and the less political Greta Van Susteren (1.8 million). The top non-Fox shows are CNN's Larry King (921,000), Countdown with Keith Olbermann (881,000) and Rachel Maddow (827,000). Only then, in the 17th spot, does Anderson Cooper make a showing, with 746,000 households in the 10 p.m. hour.

—P.J. Gladnick is a freelance writer and creator of the DUmmie FUnnies blog.


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not so much ironic, as

October 12, 2009 - 09:20 ET by notonmywatch

not so much ironic, as ham-fisted, not-even-trying-any-more, shooting-fish-in-a-barrel propaganda.

___________________________________________________________
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This is a GREAT DAY!

October 12, 2009 - 11:07 ET by jefflebowski

Finally, a member of the mainstream media, old media, dead media or fringe media (whatever you want to call them) has admitted it is not a journalistic enterprise.  With the spot for Anderson Cooper, CNN admits it is nothing more than a Democratic party propaganda machine!  Of course, Conservative have known this for years but the MSM has always pretended to be balanced.  Now that the truth is officially out, we can all anxiously await the final death of the MSM as their annointed one crashes and burns!  Death to the MSM, long live the blogosphere!

Angry White Dude

www.angrywhitedude.c...

PJ, you should know by now

October 12, 2009 - 09:24 ET by motherbelt

PJ, you should know by now that irony is lost on these people.

They have become parodies of themselves!

The irony is that this

October 12, 2009 - 09:29 ET by Captain Repus

The irony is that this mealy-mouthed broad made these administration comments on CNN, which falls behind even MSDNC in viewership, so few people heard this line of tripe. If the Obammy's were smart they would have had her go on FOX so the vast majority of news viewers would have seen this TASS-type media smear.

Does Obammy think putting the face of this woman who dresses, looks and speaks like a a grade school cafeteria matron on the air add any sophistication to the presidency?

THe DNC parrot isn't what it

October 12, 2009 - 09:32 ET by 10ksnooker

THe DNC parrot isn't what it used to be

Abe Lincoln....

October 12, 2009 - 09:42 ET by adamsmith

This all reminds me of Abraham Lincoln's famous quote, which I believe said, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

Even the most politically disinterested and let's just say "not too bright Americans" are all starting to see through this insanity. It's just way too obvious at this point. The media swayed everything Barry's way all through the campaign, are heavily invested in his not looking like an idiot, and will be leaving all credibility to Fox News when they are the only ones reporting news as in the Van Jones story. None of them have credibility anymore...

              

October 12, 2009 - 09:36 ET by jessieH

              Fox is not like CNN. Fox tells both sides of a news story. CNN tells what the white house tells them to. Of course, so does the rest of them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

jessieH

October 12, 2009 - 09:52 ET by adamsmith

Very, very true jessieH. There are more liberal commentators on a day to day basis on Fox than any other network. A good example of this would be "Meltdown with Keith Olbergoebbels". He uses the same five moonbats every night, of course with no conservative counterpoint offered. Hard to have a show like Keitho-the-Klown's if you have to inject facts and figures into the propaganda....The left is really becoming one huge joke that's far from funny. They have no credibility with me, and I try to look at both sides of an issue to make up my own mind as far as whom has the better argument...

That will be the day

October 12, 2009 - 09:47 ET by general company

The voice goes on to say that Cooper is the person she can turn to
hold "right wing" conservatives accountable.

Cooper spends quite a bit of time out on the limb. Plus he is a jerk.

  My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful

"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg

In my earlier days I might

October 12, 2009 - 09:59 ET by BKeyser

In my earlier days I might have said "wham bam, thank you ma'am."

Wait- I wouldn't have said that, but I knew people that might have... 

CNN

October 12, 2009 - 10:04 ET by Infidelphia

has done Black in America, Latino in America, Gay in America, etc but I'm still waiting on something we all can ID with: Unemployed in America. Tea bag that, Anderson

Is Anita's middle initial

October 12, 2009 - 10:04 ET by HockeyKid

Is Anita's middle initial B?  If it is, the White House switchboard operators must get a lot of snickering prank calls. 

"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me

Obama have a late night TV

October 12, 2009 - 10:08 ET by nicksmith112

Obama have a late night TV show on TBS??

 

 

I'm a refugee from the Democratic Party.

 

surprising me this morning

October 12, 2009 - 10:11 ET by jon_torlin

That headline needed a spew alert, I wasn't used to seeing 'CNN' and 'unbiased' used in the same sentence unless the 'un' was taken off or if the word 'not' was in there.  I was drinking some tea this morning as I saw that and almost let fly!

-Jon

Well, they did put unbiased

October 12, 2009 - 10:13 ET by Free Stinker

Well, they did put unbiased in quotes . . .

was the idea, not the quotes

October 12, 2009 - 10:28 ET by jon_torlin

It was the idea that CNN could be unbiased.  Very unnatural these days, rather funny too.

-Jon

I agree. The idea is

October 12, 2009 - 10:31 ET by Free Stinker

I agree.

The idea is laughable.  Unless some day in the future when Time Warner decides to sell off CNN for having lower ratings than The Turnip Channel (all turnips, all the time) a Conservative will buy it and start reporting the news.

Stranger things have happened.

Good for Fox

October 12, 2009 - 11:13 ET by slickwillie2001

The White House criticism of Fox News will drive more viewers to Fox News. It's like telling someone that no matter what happens, don't look in this closet.

Americans, liberals and conservatives alike, have some natural distrust of government and if they sense that there's something on Fox News that the government doesn't want them to see, then will want to know what it is.

True dat slick!

October 12, 2009 - 16:40 ET by Rukus

 
Curiosity knows no political boundaries. Most excellent point bro! : )

Gary

 

POLITICS: poly (many) + ticks (blood sucking parasites)

 

Liberals hate it when the truth reveals their bias

October 12, 2009 - 11:52 ET by kevinm13

CNN and MSNBC are very liberal organizations.  They rarely present the opposite side of a discussion or argument and use a lot of their liberal biased "news" to push the Democrat party agenda.  They have all the talking points and read from the song sheet.

Fox News Channel provides a Fair and Balanced approach to political issues and give the news from a factual perspective.  Yes, some of the shows in the evening are biased to the right -- Hannity and Beck are conservatives, but they always try to bring in both sides to all arguments.  They get the last words and are usually right in what their assertions are, but there is often a debate and an airing of the issues.

The WH doesn't like FNC because it is truthful and the WH doesn't like their agenda being identified.  They don't like FNC because it presents a different side of things (along with their side) that none of the other so-called media are presenting.  FNC is not going to reiterate the latest Dem talking points as the others do.  See what happens to the ratings for CNN, MSNBC and the others when they follow the Dem playbook?  They lose.

 

 

Totally Hypocritical

October 12, 2009 - 11:55 ET by BW222

CNN is totally hypocritical when it constantly claims not to take sides and plays it down the middle. When a network's "stars" are Campbell Brown and two drunks like Joke Cafferty and Rick Sanchez, you know it's in trouble.

BW222

If my name was 'Anita' Dunn' - I'd change it.

October 12, 2009 - 14:56 ET by acaiguana

The weird thing is she says all this with a straight face.  I quote: 

"But let's not pretend they're a news network the way CNN is."

Let me see if I get this right?

Because FOX News reports on the 'other' side consistently and the 'other' side doesn't like a lot of what it sees the White House Chicago Thugees manic insistence that everything it wants to do is the only way to go...

Everyone on FOX News is non-professional.

As a source of News and as a body of Professionalism.

As the Iguana Boyz would say, "Hey man, let the Orchards bloom when WE want them, to heck (darn them to heck) with Mother Nature.

ACA

...

Quoted from: 'Acaiguana notes from the Underground' (Soon to be at theaters near you)

Truth and facts

October 12, 2009 - 15:07 ET by sam12663

Truth and facts defeat lies and thuggery every time. This is why the White House has it's panties in a bunch over Fox News. The fact that they haven't been able to dupe every news outlet with its line of deceit has them going crazy. It is further evidence of just how pampered and coddled these liberal elitists have been their entire lives. When all you've heard since birth is just how good you are, and how smart you are, and you cannot do any wrong, getting bitch slapped by the likes of Beck and Hannity is a rude awakening. It is the single biggest example of the pussification of America.

 

President Obama is nothing more than a lying empty suit; a Hollywood style special effects smoke and mirrors show that has shown itself to be a total fraud.  

WAKE UP AMERICA! SAVE OUR CONSTITUTION! 

Anderson Cooper

October 12, 2009 - 18:14 ET by nandrelli

Someone at CNN obviously has a warped sense of humor, calling Anderson Cooper 69 (oops, 360) a "straight" news program.  After all, Cooper became the "teabagger in chief" after describing how difficult it is to "talk while you are teabagging", back when the "Tea Parties" were just getting started.