Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz filed one of those hurray-I-got-access puff pieces on the networks today, in this case ABC morning news anchor Chris Cuomo, son of ultraliberal former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo (and brother of current New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo). Kurtz mentioned that Cuomo drew controversy for suggesting Britain’s Prince Harry was allowed to serve in the military in Afghanistan because he was "expendable" (a gaffe first highlighted by Scott Whitlock at NewsBusters), but at the article’s end, ABC tells Kurtz how much they like young Cuomo as an advocacy journalist:
Cuomo describes himself as an advocacy journalist, and his bosses like that. "He's had a real yearning to seek out the untold stories, particularly of the disadvantaged," Westin says. "He's almost a crusader. It's a form of old-fashioned, muckraking journalism."
Sounding like a courtroom lawyer, Cuomo talks about pursuing corporate malefactors and "putting people in the chair" for cross-examination. His "GMA Gets Answers" segment resembles a staple of local television, and Cuomo admits that such stories often help only one person. Last fall, however, an insurance company changed its overall policy after Cuomo did a story on a 3-year-old boy who needed a motorized wheelchair not covered by the family's insurance.
"It's the most important thing I can do," Cuomo says, pounding the desk. "What frustrates people about these stories is you tell them what the problem is all the time, but you don't hold anyone accountable."
The headline for the article was "A Son’s Own Orbit: Chris Cuomo’s Path to Public Service Is on the Airwaves." For an example of one of Cuomo’s crusades of liberal bias in "GMA Gets Answers," see here.
