In kicking off Sunday’s un-Reliable Sources, host and liberal hack Brian Stelter tried to distract from the corrupt FBI officials exposed via the revelations in the General Michael Flynn case by suggesting: “right-wing” coverage of the case was an attempt to “downplay” and “normalize” the massive death toll from the Chinese Coronavirus.
“The data is important. The numbers are important. The death toll isn’t something that just -- be -- downplayed, it’s not something we can hide from, even if it is gut-wrenching to hear about every day,” he lamented, as he pretended as though he was unable to find the word “downplay.”
After comparing the tragic death toll from the virus to a daily Hurricane Katrina or daily 9/11, Stelter declared that “It's so disappointing to look at what we're seeing from right-wing media these days, where there's such an obsession with the deep state and these revelations about the Russia probe and the decision about Michael Flynn.”
Clearly peddling unsubstantiated hyperbole, he insisted: “They're treating the Michael Flynn story like it a bigger deal than the deaths of 2,000 Americans a day.” Of course, he blamed it all on his favorite hate object: Fox News.
“We were seeing this on Fox and Friends and other shows,” he added. “When the President called into Fox and Friends the other morning, Friday morning right before the unemployment rate numbers came out, he talked about the Flynn case for 20 minutes before he was asked about the pandemic.”
Stelter fell back to his disgusting and insulting tactic of proclaiming that anyone who thought differently than him (and ultimately from CNN’s prescribe narrative) had some sort of debilitating, cognitive mental problem:
In what right mind is any scandal, any political scandal any Department of Justice story more important to ask the President about than the pandemic that's raging?
I -- Look, ultimately it's about news judgment, it’s about lack of judgment, but I find it befuddling that some people are acting like this death toll is just normal, and accepted, and common, and just another day now.
No one in right-wing media thought the massive death toll from the virus was “normal” or were “accepting” it. In fact, the virus was still the top news story in right-wing media. The only difference was that they were better at being able to walk (cover the virus) and chew gum (cover corrupt FBI officials) at the same time. Plus, they didn’t have a mandate from CNN boss Jeff Zucker to fill their spare airtime with anti-Trump hate.
As he was wrapping up this rant and getting ready to bring on his first guests, Stelter asked viewers to let him know what they thought about what he said. “That's where we start. That's how I'm feeling. I'd love to know how you're feeling. Send me a note. I’m bstelter@gmail.com.”
“That’s how I’m feeling” sounds a lot like opinion and not facts. This is CNN.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Reliable Sources
May 10, 2020
11:04:35 a.m. Eastern(…)
BRIAN STELTER: The data is important. The numbers are important. The death toll isn’t something that just -- be -- [pretends he can’t find the word] -- downplayed, it’s not something we can hide from, even if it is gut-wrenching to hear about every day.
It's like New Orleans floods every day. It's like the planes go into the towers every day. And to look away or act like it's now normal or acceptable is a disgrace to the victims.
It's so disappointing to look at what we're seeing from right-wing media these days, where there's such an obsession with the deep state and these revelations about the Russia probe and the decision about Michael Flynn. They're treating the Michael Flynn story like it a bigger deal than the deaths of 2,000 Americans a day. We were seeing this on Fox and Friends and other shows.
When the President called into Fox and Friends the other morning, Friday morning right before the unemployment rate numbers came out, he talked about the Flynn case for 20 minutes before he was asked about the pandemic.
In what right mind is any scandal, any political scandal any Department of Justice story more important to ask the President about than the pandemic that's raging?
I -- Look, ultimately it's about news judgment, it’s about lack of judgment, but I find it befuddling that some people are acting like this death toll is just normal, and accepted, and common, and just another day now.
Imagine if 1,000 to 2,000 Americans were dying a day from terror attacks? Imagine the President's response? All right. That's where we start. That's how I'm feeling. I'd love to know how you're feeling. Send me a note. I’m bstelter@gmail.com.
(…)
