Ahead of the primetime hearings, CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter joined Thursday’s CNN Newsroom simultaneously argued that the January 6 Committee needs to “make this an effective show” and that Fox News is not a news, but rather an entertainment channel for not showing the hearings live.
Co-host Alisyn Camerota got the conversation started by touting the spectacle of the hearings, “So, tonight's presentation will be a made for TV event, but how do lawmakers know how to produce a primetime TV program? Joining us now is CNN chief media correspondent, Brian Stelter. Brian, how are they doing this?”
Stelter began by describing the typical committee hearing, “where lawmakers are up there giving their own speeches, just wanting to having their own voices heard, not actually trying to get information to the public.”
This would be unacceptable, Stelter argued, “this has to be the opposite. And one of the ways this will be judged is whether it is the opposite of a usual Congressional hearing.”
It is easy to foresee grandstanding January 6 committee members too, but Stelter continued, “we know they are doing several things differently. As Ryan mentioned, using video clips, bringing in evidence on video, and also enlisting James Goldston, a former head of ABC News to help advise the hearing members on how to produce this and make this an effective show, so to speak.”
After reporting that all channels except Fox will show the hearings live, Stelter expressed his displeasure with Fox’s reasoning, “Here’s a part of the statements saying that ‘Fox's primetime shows will cover the hearings,’ quote, ‘as news warrants.’ Those are weasel words, because of course the entire hearing is a news event. It is a major news event.”
In Stelter’s world, non-news junkies actually care about the committee, “folks who might otherwise not watch the news at night will tune in tonight, it's important to recognize there's an entire universe of media that exists to oppose this committee, to oppose finding out the truth, and whether any of tonight's news breaks through, I think is a very open question.”
Co-host Victor Blackwell then jumped into the conversation to challenge’s Fox’s sincerity, “Yeah, and to that point, although Fox won't carry the hearings tonight, they certainly took the prebuttal today from House Republicans live.”
Stelter naturally concurred and repeated his earlier claim that “the average American, who doesn't care that much about politics, who doesn't watch the news every night, they might actually tune in and see this in a new way, right?”
As the segment came to a close, Camerota took a shot at her former employer, “But what you're saying, I think, is that the news networks will be covering it.”
Ignoring everything he just said about the need for the committee to put on a good show, Stelter concluded, “The news networks will be covering it. And the entertainment channels that promote Trump's agenda will not.”
By Stelter’s own description of the committee, it appears CNN will also be an entertainment network for the duration of the hearings.
This segment was sponsored by Liberty Mutual.
Here is a transcript for the June 9 show:
CNN Newsroom with Alisyn Camerota and Victor Blackwell
6/9/2022
2:05 PM ET
ALISYN CAMEROTA: So, tonight's presentation will be a made for TV event, but how do lawmakers know how to produce a primetime TV program? Joining us now is CNN chief media correspondent, Brian Stelter. Brian, how are they doing this?
BRIAN STELTER: Well, this has to be the opposite of a usual Congressional hearing because even on C-SPAN, those can put people to sleep. You think about the typical Congressional hearing where lawmakers are up there giving their own speeches, just wanting to having their own voices heard, not actually trying to get information to the public, this has to be the opposite. And one of the ways this will be judged is whether it is the opposite of a usual Congressional hearing.
But, we know they are doing several things differently. As Ryan mentioned, using video clips, bringing in evidence on video, and also enlisting James Goldston, a former head of ABC News to help advise the hearing members on how to produce this and make this an effective show, so to speak. It is highly unusual for all of the major networks to agree to carry a Congressional hearing in primetime. Of course, this will be live on CNN and on MSNBC, but also on NBC, ABC, CBS, other local stations and broadcast areas may decide to carry this.
This will be seen almost everywhere except, of course, for the right-wing media bubble. Fox News notably saying it will not carry the hearings in full. Here’s a part of the statements saying that “Fox's primetime shows will cover the hearings,” quote, “as news warrants.”
Those are weasel words, because of course the entire hearing is a news event. It is a major news event. But Fox is instead going to air Tucker Carlson's usual 8:00 PM show. Carlson, of course, is a 1/6 denier, he promotes conspiracy theories about 1/6 so as much as the primetime coverage will matter and—and-- folks who might otherwise not watch the news at night will tune in tonight, it's important to recognize there's an entire universe of media that exists to oppose this committee, to oppose finding out the truth, and whether any of tonight's news breaks through, I think is a very open question.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: Yeah, and to that point, although Fox won't carry the hearings tonight, they certainly took the prebuttal today from House Republicans live.
STELTER: Yes, absolutely. And—and—and-- in some ways, you can think about Fox's program as 20--, the channel, as a 24/7 prebuttal, telling a different version of events about January 6th, emphasizing other stories as well.
Now, the network says we're going cover it later in the day, we're going to cover it on other channels, but the reality is, the big lie was perpetuated and promoted on Fox and other right-wing channels and now the clean-up, the—the-- attempt to get to the truth about 1/6, will be minimized by Fox and others. Notably, Newsmax, which is another right-wing outlet, they came out today and said we are going to show this because we want to show our viewers if there's partisan bias among the lawmakers so very much a moment of two American media bubbles here.
But I—I-- think it's important to say the average American, who doesn't care that much about politics, who doesn't watch the news every night, they might actually tune in and see this in a new way, right?
Because if—if-- you're a more casual news consumer that hasn't been paying attention to the daily details that have dribbled out for months, you may tune in tonight and in the coming days and find out a lot of new developments that you were not aware of, and that may be why these hearings matter. It's a convening moment for the country and it may matter for that reason.
CAMEROTA: Yeah, well, I mean, obviously, they matter for history, but I take your point that it's one-stop, that it’s one-stop shopping.
STELTER: Yes.
CAMEROTA: And that's, that is, you know, much -- that's helpful rather than having to watch every single day, the little pieces.
STELTER: Yeah.
CAMEROTA: But what you're saying, I think, is that the news networks will be covering it.
STELTER: The news networks will be covering it. And the entertainment channels that promote Trump's agenda will not.
