Offering the latest example on Monday’s New Day of how CNN has upped its game in working to destroy Fox News, Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter reveled in the controversies surrounding two opinion hosts to the point that he wondered why their straight news anchors aren’t quitting in mass protest.
What’s amusing about this is the same question could be asked of CNN anchors and correspondents considering some of the things that their primetime pundits (disguised as fair, pro-truth news anchors) have said about conservatives and Trump supporters.
Again bringing up this occasional routine in which she spun her time at Fox News as if she were held against her will from 1998 to 2014, co-host Alisyn Camerota went even further than condemning Jeanine Pirro’s comments about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) wearing a hijab. Instead, Camerota blasted the notion that Sharia Law is something to condemn or worry about.
Here was Camerota (click “expand”):
When I worked at Fox, Sharia Law was one of their favorite boogeymen. Roger Ailes was very exercised about Sharia Law and so there — we did a lot of segments on Sharia Law. None of them were fact-based or they didn't — there was no emphasis on them being fact-based. They were fear-based. They were fear-based and so, I hear that language. That's familiar old language and I guess the only thing that is surprising is that Fox put out a statement condemning Jeanine Pirro. I mean, it took them 24 hours to get around to it. So, after 24 hours of, I guess, outcry online, Fox put out a statement saying: “We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro's comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar. They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.”
The nerve! How awful of a life it must have been becoming one of the most recognizable faces in cable news!
As for Stelter, his tirade about FNC being a “propaganda” outlet and wondering why straight news anchors haven’t quit came near the end of the discussion. He agreed with everything Camerota had stated and then insisted that FNC was “trying to counter this narrative presented in The New Yorker last night that it's a propaganda network for the President and, it's trying to promote its news brand.”
“It's out there to advertisers promoting its news programs. So where are the news anchors on Fox saying I don't want to work in this kind of place? This is unacceptable. Jeanine Pirro should not be allowed to be on this network reading this script that she's written that's been put in the teleprompter. Where are those news anchors today,” Stelter whined.
In just the last week, Stelter has justified the DNC banning Fox News from hosting a presidential debate and running a segment on Reliable Sources that implicitly suggested FNC was harming America and thus the enemy of the people.
Between that and the things CNN analysts, commentators, and hosts have said in the past about those that don’t share their liberal, pro-CNN worldview, perhaps Brian should worry about having his own house in order first.
To see the relevant transcript from CNN’s New Day on March 11, click “expand.”
CNN’s New Day
March 11, 2019
7:52 a.m. EasternALISYN CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, Fox TV host Jeanine Pirro is under fire this morning for comments she made on her show Saturday night about Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a practicing Muslim who wears a hijab — listen.
JEANINE PIRRO: Think about it. Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Quran 33:59 tells women to cover so they won't get molested. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia Law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?
CAMEROTA: Let's discuss this with Brian Stelter, CNN chief media correspondent and anchor of Reliable Sources and, John Avlon, CNN senior political analyst. Brian, this did not surprise me. When I worked at Fox, Sharia Law was one of their favorite boogeymen.
BRIAN STELTER: Yes.
CAMEROTA: Roger Ailes was very exercised about Sharia Law and so there — we did a lot of segments on Sharia Law. None of them were fact-based or they didn't — there was no emphasis on them being fact-based.
STELTER: They were fear-based.
CAMEROTA: They were fear-based. They were fear-based and so, I hear that language.
STELTER: Yeah.
CAMEROTA: That's familiar old language and I guess the only thing that is surprising is that Fox put out a statement condemning Jeanine Pirro. I mean, it took them 24 hours to get around to it.
STELTER: Yes, it did.
CAMEROTA: So, after 24 hours of, I guess, outcry online, Fox put out a statement saying: “We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro's comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar. They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.”
STELTER: And there could be two reasons why Fox issued that statement. Number one, it could be advertiser pressure — advertisers wanting to pull out. Number two, it could be staff pressure. Internally, staffers, including one who works on Bret Baier's show who is Muslim, spoke out against Pirro and said why are you spreading this false narrative that Muslims hate America. If I could speak to Pirro — if she happens to be watching, I would say what are you so afraid of? What are you so scared of? All of these lawmakers — the Muslims in America — people of many faiths — people of many backgrounds, they're all trying to make America better. What are you so afraid of?
CAMEROTA: I know the answer.
STELTER: The Fox narrative, for years, has been about fear of Muslims, fear of minorities.
CAMEROTA: Well, I mean, what they're so afraid of is ratings dipping. [STELTER LAUGHS]
JOHN BERMAN: Look, this isn't — I don't want to call it ignorance —
STELTER: Sad — so sad.
BERMAN: — because ignorance implies she doesn't know better, but I guarantee you Jeanine Pirro knows the truth here, so it's not ignorance, it's just hate.
STELTER: This was also written in the teleprompter. This was put in the teleprompter.
BERMAN: And it's hate — that's my point. It's hate in teleprompter.
JOHN AVLON: Right, and I think that's worse because it's not a slip-up, it's intentional, but, of course, this all gets filed under the “I learned it from you, dad” because you're saying all members of Congress, you know, love America, but, Donald Trump, of course, the other weekend, said members of Congress hate America and I — you know, folks got to stop getting on the soapbox and calling themselves a constitutional conservative without having a passing understanding of what the Constitution actually says and this is exhibit A. The default to fearmongers here that Roger Ailes got exercised — I like the verb choice on that one, but, you know, this is a fundamental problem of the fearmongering that has passed for too long and the fact they issued a correction is actually surprising because usually, it's only been in reaction to advertiser boycotts and there's not any evidence of that as far as we know.
STELTER: Yeah. I think this was maybe internal staff pressure and look, maybe —
CAMEROTA: Well, and to that —
STELTER: — the Murdochs just — they look at this and they say don't go and be so blatant. Don't be so obvious about your fearmongering and your — you know, maybe that's the issue is that they prefer to subtext sometimes.
CAMEROTA: Well, I mean, to that end, I do think that we should, via Twitter, read the producer on Bret Baier's — is one of the producers on Bret Baier's show who put this out. I mean, who obviously felt so offended —
STELTER: Yeah.
CAMEROTA: — by what Jeanine had said. He says: “[Jeanine Pirro] can you stop spreading this false narrative that somehow Muslims hate America or women who wear a hijab are not American enough? You have Muslims working at the same network you do, including myself. K, thanks.”
BERMAN: Yeah, good on her. Brave.
STELTER: Right.
AVLON: Absolutely.
STELTER: That's number one. The — that idea here that Fox is surprised by this — I agree with you, Alisyn, that this is something that's been going on for a very long time at Fox, but right now, Fox is trying to do two things. It's trying to counter this narrative presented in The New Yorker last night that it's a propaganda network for the President and, it's trying to promote its news brand. It's out there to advertisers promoting its news programs. So where are the news anchors on Fox saying I don't want to work in this kind of place?
AVLON: Right.
STELTER: This is unacceptable. Jeanine Pirro should not be allowed to be on this network reading this script that she's written that's been put in the teleprompter. Where are those news anchors today?
