The cable news landscape was shaken to its core Monday with the stunning news that cable news star and host of Fox News Channel's Tucker Carlson Tonight was out at the network. A short time later, CNN announced that CNN This Morning co-host Don Lemon was fired as well. During CBS Evening News's coverage of both developments, anchor Norah O'Donnell resorted to labeling Fox News as a conservative network, while seeing no need to use the liberal label for CNN.
While it's accurate to label Fox a conservative network in terms of its opinion-side programming, it wasn't honest or fair reporting to refuse to label CNN a liberal network when that's clearly what it is.
"We want to begin tonight with a major shake-up in the media landscape as the most watched cable network, the conservative Fox News, has abruptly parted ways with its top-rated anchor Tucker Carlson," O'Donnell announced at the top of the broadcast before correctly noting Carlson's influence in both American media and Republican politics.
"The stunning news could ripple through American politics as Tucker Carlson is considered one of the most influential voices in the Republican Party," O'Donnell noted.
The left-wing anchor subsequently brought up the controversy surrounding Carlson's coverage of the 2020 presidential election and claims of voter fraud, in addition to allegations from a disgruntled former producer: "Carlson is at the center of the false vote rigging claims following the 2020 election as well as a new discrimination lawsuit filed by a former producer. Alleging a hostile and discriminatory work environment."
Once O'Donnell moved on to the news of Lemon's ouster from CNN, her tone changed and she dropped the partisan labeling of the network: "CNN has fired its longtime host Don Lemon after 17 years at the network, the embattled morning show co-host faced backlash after saying women in their 50s were past their prime."
She then turned to Jericka Duncan who huffed that Carlson's "rhetoric would have obviously gotten him fired at many media companies."
This partisan labeling of Fox News but not CNN was made possible by Fidelity. Their information is linked.
To read the transcript click "expand":
CBS Evening News
4/24/2023
6:32:11 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: We want to begin tonight with a major shake-up in the media landscape as the most watched cable network, the conservative Fox News, has abruptly parted ways with its top-rated anchor Tucker Carlson. The stunning news could ripple through American politics as Tucker Carlson is considered one of the most influential voices in the Republican Party. And it comes just six days after Fox agreed to pay nearly $800 million for making false claims about Dominion Voting systems.
Carlson is at the center of the false vote rigging claims following the 2020 election as well as a new discrimination lawsuit filed by a former producer. Alleging a hostile and discriminatory work environment. Shares of Fox Corporation dropped 3 percent on the news. And CNN has fired its longtime host Don Lemon after 17 years at the network, the embattled morning show co-host faced backlash after saying women in their 50s were past their prime. CBS's Jericka Duncan is going to start us off from outside Fox News headquarters in New York. Good evening, Jericka.
JERICKA DUNCAN: Good evening, Norah. You know, Carlson's controversial comments over the years led many advertisers to flee at times. But some of his rhetoric would have obviously gotten him fired at many media companies, but his ratings soared, which brought Fox News a lot of money and brought him more airtime until now.
