The Most Connected Man in News Is Back

January 30th, 2007 4:06 PM

The dust-up over where Anderson Cooper hangs his hat is heating up again with ex-Fox News "whistleblower" Charlie Reina going back to the MSM gossip boards to drop unverified bombs.

You've probably never heard of Charlie Reina. He made news by his report in a MSM forum claiming to have witnessed bias first-hand at Fox News. This was swallowed by all the usual co-conspirators and parroted throughout the net. He claims he was told how to frame stories. What his followers refuse to address is that he worked on an opinion-based show. As a columnist at The Huffington Post , Reina should understand better than anyone the difference between news and editorial.

He's back. This time claiming that he was in a meeting where Fox News tried to recruit Anderson Cooper.

I got the impression that even the producer knew he was on a fool's errand; that for Cooper, whose talents and instincts were in actual news, coming to Fox would be a huge step down professionally. In any case, this particular call went nowhere. The producer led with, "So when are you comin' over?" Anderson laughed politely and changed the subject. I doubt he ever gave the absurd idea a moment's serious thought.

That doesn't sound like much of a job pitch, but okay. Why not name the producer? Are we to believe that Charlie Reina is trying to protect someone at Fox? Why was Reina even in the office for such a call? Why didn't Reina drop this bomb with the rest of his Fox News expose back in 2003? When exactly did it occur? Reina left Fox News in April 2003. That was back when Anderson Cooper was doing weekend bits, Anderson Cooper 360° didn't exist until 5 months after Reina left Fox News.

What will Charlie remember next?