CNN Tonight host Don Lemon trapped himself in a lie this week, falsely claiming that the Fox News Channel (or “Trump TV” in his mind) had never covered the White House resignation of Hope Hicks. He offered “apologies for that” on Thursday but it was anything but that as he channeled Dan Rather and Michael Wolff in arguing that the spirit of his lie was true.
During the 10:00 p.m. Eastern hour, Lemon hit pause on the discussion about the White House drama to state that he “said something last night that was an attempt to make a broader point about Fox News and how they downplay bad news about the administration” and “most people understood” what he was saying.
But if that were true, then why was Lemon slammed by everyone from Fox’s John Roberts to The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple?
“It was saying that — I think it was a bad example about Hope Hicks, but there was a broader context if you watched the entire show about how fox hadn't covered it. I mean, they hadn't covered it at all, but how they broadly downplay big stories and important news for this White House,” Lemon added.
Here’s what Lemon actually said on Wednesday: “I was sitting in my office and was watching all the news channels, right -- Trump TV or state-run TV, they’re not even reporting this. So Trump supporters, they don’t even know about these stories. It doesn’t even register; that’s the amazing thing.”
It doesn’t take a whole lot of intuitiveness to know that Lemon accused FNC of ignoring the Hicks resignation. Right on cue, Lemon and CNN political analyst Ryan Lizza would offer spin that FNC hasn’t covered the Hicks story with the same seriousness that CNN has.
Translation? Fox News hasn’t followed CNN’s lead in dropping everything from Afghanistan to infrastructure to the opioid crisis because, for them, Hicks must take precedent. CNN’s media team earns their paychecks wailing about how Fox News doesn’t cover Trump scandals like they do.
Back to Thursday, CNN political analyst Ryan Lizza played the role of Lemon sycophant, lamenting that it “turned into a little bit of a kerfuffle today and what I understood you to be saying, Don, is not that Fox did not report that Hope Hicks was resigning” because “of course, they did.”
“Of course, they did. But that it was a major, major story that every news station was covering extremely aggressively and putting it into context and that Fox was, frankly, and this is true, downplaying it. Anyway, that’s the way I understood what you were saying,” Lizza added.
Only then did Lemon offer the a-word while trying to claim that his broader point was true: “Yeah, it wasn't particularly this, but they had covered it, though. So, I mean, that was a bad example and so apologies for that.”
Of course, Lemon was not asked about this when he tapped an interview that same day for NBC’s Late Night. Lemon told host Seth Meyers that “I do give a point of view on my show which is interesting” and “people find interesting.”
“What I also really enjoy about watching your show is, not only do you have a point of view, but there are times when you cannot quite hide exactly as absurd you think things are,” Meyers later noted.
Lemon also praised the Parkland gun control student activists, hailing them for being well-spoken and more informed “in ways that I don't think that I would have at 17, 18 years old, some of them 16 years old” to the point that “I do think that they're going to be a force in the midterms.”
To see the relevant transcript from March 1's CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, click “expand.”
CNN Tonight with Don Lemon
March 1, 2018
10:27 p.m. Eastern
DON LEMON: And by the way, Ryan, you were on the panel last night. I said something last night that was an attempt to make a broader point about Fox News and how they downplay bad news about the administration. I think you understood it. Most people understood it. It was saying that — I think it was a bad example about Hope Hicks, but there was a broader context if you watched the entire show about how fox hadn't covered it. I mean, they hadn't covered it at all, but how they broadly downplay big stories and important news for this White House.
RYAN LIZZA: I —
KIRSTEN POWERS: But, Don —
LIZZA: — yeah, I was — well, just one second, Kirsten because I just — this turned into a little bit of a kerfuffle today and what I understood you to be saying, Don, is not that Fox did not report that Hope Hicks was resigning. Of course, they did. But that it was a major, major story that every news station was covering extremely aggressively and putting it into context and that Fox was, frankly, and this is true, downplaying it.
LEMON: Yeah.
LIZZA: Anyway, that’s the way —
LEMON: It wasn’t —
LIZZA: — I understood what you were saying.
LEMON: Yeah, it wasn't particularly this, but they had covered it, though. So, I mean, that was a bad example and so apologies for that.
To see the relevant transcript from NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers on March 2, click “expand.”
NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers
March 2, 2018
1:10 a.m. Eastern
DON LEMON: And I will say, you know, I do give a point of view on my show which is interesting. I think people find interesting for CNN. I do give a point of view and I'll say that's ridiculous.
SETH MEYERS: Yeah.
LEMON: I mean, we can be fair, we can be open minded, but we don't have to be stupid. And — [LAUGHTER] — but, seriously. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
MEYERS: Yeah, I think that's a brilliant thing.
LEMON: One issue is arming teachers.
MEYERS: Yeah.
LEMON: And, you know, I come from a long line of teachers and none of them want to be armed in school.
MEYERS: Yeah.
LEMON: Do we want security in school? Absolutely. But do, you know, do you want your teacher, do you want Coach Edwards to be armed? [LAUGHTER]
MEYERS: Yeah.
LEMON: I don't think so.
MEYERS: My mom was a teacher and if she ever had a gun so many things would have had to go wrong.
LEMON: You might not be here.
MEYERS: Yeah. [LAUGHTER] What I also really enjoy about watching your show is, not only do you have a point of view, but there are times when you cannot quite hide exactly as absurd you think things are.
(....)
MEYERS: I want to ask, before you go, it feels like what happened in Parkland and what we're seeing from these students, it feels different watching it from where I'm sitting that maybe, and I'm hopeful, maybe this time it's different. Is covering it, has that been a --
LEMON: Yeah.
MEYERS: — different experience for you?
LEMON: It is different and I know — to get your question out. But it is different and I am so proud of these kids. I don't know if you guys are.
MEYERS: Yeah.
LEMON: I am extremely proud of them. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] They are a game changer. They're — I hate that word when people say they're so articulate, but they really are.
MEYERS: Yeah
LEMON: And they're so knowledgeable. I'm like, “you're going to take my job.”
MEYERS: Yeah.
LEMON: I think they, you know, speak sometimes better than I do, and they understand issues in ways that I don't think that I would have at 17, 18 years old. Some of them 16 years old. I do think that they're going to be a force in the midterms. I think whether it's legislatively or politically, they're going to make a huge difference, and I don't think that you should discount them. This time, we have these kids who are able to speak out about gun violence in ways that obviously that they couldn't do in Newtown because they were so young, and so I think it's going to be a big difference. I'm really proud of them.
MEYERS: Well, I hope you're right.
