Former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy used his far-left newsletter site Status on Thursday night to suffer a weapons-grade meltdown over rumors that our friend and CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings — perhaps the best current articulator of conservative principles — was not only close to a new contract to stay with CNN, but “receive a substantial pay increase” despite being a “dishonest,” “insidious” man that “distorts” and “fabricates reality.”
Darcy started by whining “MAGA pundit Scott Jennings has been busy” with “quite favorable” contract talks and “reliably excusing Donald Trump’s appalling behavior” with the former yielding “a substantial pay increase” although Darcy made it seem like having his own show won’t be happening.
The conservative media turncoat never pointed out (and it’s doubtful he ever would) that Jennings’s appearances become rare-instances for political junkies in which CNN becomes must-see TV. In fact, it’s not uncommon for tweets of Jennings pull more viewers on X than actual Nielson ratings viewers.
Nonetheless, Darcy framed Jennings remaining at CNN as an affront to the state of corporate media with recent layoffs having hit CNN plus ABC and NBC.
“The message from executives...has been clear: budgets are tight and talent are expendable. Pay raises are now an anomaly...making Jennings’ deal all the more striking. While journalists are being told to do more with less, CNN is choosing to invest handsomely in a MAGA pundit,” he whined.
Darcy — who views conservatives as if we’re dangerous, disease-ridden scum — voiced dismay some network executives still believe in “hav[ing] voices that represent the MAGA movement,” and engage in “‘both-sides’ commentary.”
Darcy’s idea of fairness? He suggested CNN follow MSNBC in only having “traditional ‘Never Trump’ conservatives Nicolle Wallace or Joe Scarborough” represent non-Democrats (even though they’re just as blue as their colleagues).
Acting as though it’s repugnant to have voices that run the gambit of the political spectrum, Darcy unleashed in grossly personal terms against Jennings, calling him an “insidious” man who “distorts” facts in a “slick” manner in supporting “Trump’s assault on democracy”and “authoritarian rhetoric”:
What makes Jennings particularly effective—and insidious—is that he doesn’t resort to outright lies when making his case. Instead, he operates in a slick gray area, using rhetorical sleight of hand to defend Trump at every turn. He misdirects, cherry-picks, and strategically omits key facts. He doesn’t fabricate reality; he distorts it. It’s a skill that makes him more palatable to mainstream audiences than some of the more unhinged, election-denying figures who dominate MAGA Media. And it’s precisely why CNN finds him so useful.
Honest people, however, don’t defend dishonest behavior. Yet, that’s exactly what Jennings does, night after night—and it is now what CNN will pay him to do more of. Whether it’s downplaying Trump’s assault on democracy, deflecting from his legal troubles, or framing his authoritarian rhetoric as mere political theater, Jennings consistently provides a veneer of respectability to a dangerous anti-truth movement. He offers CNN the illusion of “balance” while reinforcing Republican narratives that erode trust in democratic institutions.
Darcy insisted this was an either-or scenario, positing Jennings was allowed to still have a voice even though “CNN journalists have lost their jobs and continue to see their salaries trimmed” despite their “fact-based reporting[.]”
