Finally, someone went on CNN to call out the hack network for doing the bidding of Democrat Andrew Cuomo, brother of Democratic network host Chris Cuomo. Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple told Brian Stelter on Sunday to his face that the network offered “love-a-thons” with the now-scandal-ridden governor, calling them a “real black eye” for CNN.
Talking to the Reliable Sources host on Sunday, Wemple hammered the cable outlet’s hypocritical, selective enforcement of standards: “But I would remiss if I didn't mention CNN own huge media story here with Chris Cuomo, the anchor at the 9:00 hour who covered Andrew Cuomo and have love-a-thon with them and they suspended for that interviews.”
He added:
Yet, all of a sudden, they've enforced it again now that Andrew Cuomo is in a midst of a historic scandal in the Albany statehouse. So I think that is a major black eye for CNN. I will say that you and other people have covered the Cuomo story very aggressively. So I do want to be fair about this. But it is a major black eye for this network.
We can assume Wemple was simply trying to be polite by exempting Stelter from his blunt critique. As a Bill D’Agostino video montage from 2020 proved, the host's fawning over Cuomo knew no bounds. He gushed, “This has been a remarkable show of leadership by Governor Cuomo in recent days. He’s providing hope, but not false hope.”
Another time, Stelter cheered, “‘Dealing with hardship actually makes you stronger.’ That’s what Governor Cuomo said today. That’s what I’m going to go teach my kids right now at home.”
Stelter initially had no real reply to Wemple’s critique. His initial instinct was to say the network was TRYING to hammer Cuomo now:
Well, to go a little bit deeper on that. I like that Jake Tapper said this morning, he's been asking for interviewed with Governor Cuomo and Cuomo continues to say no. And Governor Cuomo continues to duck interviews and requests from everybody. He's vowing not to resign, occasionally holding briefings but not giving interviews and not giving his side of the story.
Later, Stelter offered this lame reply: “And to Wemple's point about CNN, the job always is to cover the story as if it was anybody else or any other story, just cover it the same way no matter what.”
That would be ideal, but CNN has trouble doing it. On March 1, Chris Cuomo finally addressed the mounting sexual harassment claims against his brother, but then said he wouldn’t be covering them. CNN finally acknowledged the accusations on February 25, 2021, giving them 96 seconds in two days.
The CNN spin on Sunday was sponsored by Land Rover and Dove. Click on the links to let them know what you think.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
BRIAN STELTER: Wemple, how would analyze the media's coverage up until now of Governor Cuomo?
ERIK WEMPLE (Washington Post media critic) : Well, it's been pretty aggressive. I mean, you've had significant contribution by The New York Times Jesse McKinley, Albany Times Union up there, pushing the story forward, New York Post and Washington Post, all of these forces gathering. Sort of undoes the right-wing conspiracy theory about the mainstream media which is that we don't cover Democratic politicians.
But I would remiss if I didn't mention CNN own huge media story here with Chris Cuomo, the anchor at the 9:00 hour who covered Andrew Cuomo and have love-a-thon with them and they suspended for that interviews. Yet, all of a sudden, they've enforced it again now that Andrew Cuomo is in a midst of a historic scandal in the Albany statehouse. So I think that is a major black eye for CNN. I will say that you and other people have covered the Cuomo story very aggressively. So I do want to be fair about this. But it is a major black eye for this network.
STELTER: Well, to go a little bit deeper on that. I like that Jake Tapper said this morning, he's been asking for interviewed with Governor Cuomo and Cuomo continues to say no. And Governor Cuomo continues to duck interviews and requests from everybody. He's vowing not to resign, occasionally holding briefings but not giving interviews and not giving his side of the story.
...
STELTER: Zurawik, what is your reaction?
DAVID ZURAWIK (Media critic, Baltimore Sun): Well, one, the thing that really strikes me about Cuomo, and the drum beat mounts and these are such credible charges, I don't know how he could with stand it. But what he's do it, and this is really sad for Democratic politician of the stature he formerly enjoyed.
He's behaving like President Trump. He's looking at the allegations against him, which are far more, and we had evidence of $130,000 paid to one woman for silence during the election, but he's taking -- that is one of the ways people like Trump corrupt or political system.
Here's a Democrat from a storied family, and now he's behaving like that. He's thinking, well it works for these guys, why can't it work for me. I'm not going to jump out until they push me out. I don't think he could with stand it, Brian. And God bless the press for pressing him as hard as it is pressing him now. I hope -- I hope it doesn't let up. I hope it doesn't let up and whatever is going to happen, is going to happen. But he's going to stay in as long as he can.
STELTER: And to Wemple's point about CNN, the job always is to cover the story as if it was anybody else or any other story, just cover it the same way no matter what.
...
STELTER: the president has sat down for a couple of sit-down interviews, you saw the CNN town hall, he's had a lot of Q&As with reporters, but he has not yet held a solo press conference and there is more grumbling about the fact that Biden he has not held a formal fancy press conferences at the White House. You know, during Trump, we have would have count down clocks how many times they avoid having press briefings maybe it is time for the same thing for Biden. Let's put up the screen for Biden, 53 days, without a solo press conference. April, is the press making too much of this, because I know a lot of Biden supporters say this is just B.S. noise from the media and it doesn't matter.
RYAN: No, it is not too much about nothing. The American public is in the midst of colliding crises and you want to hear from the leader of the free world, the man who is signing off on the documents and the laws about what is happening. But I talked to Jen Psaki via email this morning, the White House press secretary, she has affirmed this president will have a press conference by the end of the month. The question is what day and when. Will it be night time or during the day. He's traveling back and forth the next couple of weeks for the ARP. But at the end of the day, America needs to hear from this president in challenging times, when people are trying to make ends meet, they are hurting on every side. People need to hear what he plans, what is in his head for the move forward for the here and for the later.
