On Thursday, both MRC Research Director Rich Noyes and liberal CNN host Brian Stelter appeared on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. Though they were on at different times, both Noyes and callers hammered the partisan hackery over at CNN. Pat from Texas called in to give Stelter a piece of her mind: “I think CNN is so liberal and I think Fox is great.... CNN, I cannot watch you. I wish I could. And MSNBC, they are worse than CNN.” Here's video of Stelter sitting through that call:
Stelter responded by offering laughably false talking points, saying that CNN should “cover all the news.” (Well, yes. That would be nice.) The journalist’s solution? Give out his e-mail address?
I think it is important that CNN cover all of the news, not from a liberal point of view, not from a conservative point of view, but from a reality-based point of view, it is our job, if we fail, we want to know and we want the feedback. I sometimes give out my email address on TV because I want viewers to know that if you think we are getting it wrong, tell us, tell us what to do, my email address is bstelter@gmail.com. I think it is important that we be reality-based, not left or right.
Later, Noyes appeared and offered an explanation of just what the Media Research Center does — and has been doing since 1987.
Another caller explained just what was wrong with CNN and MSNBC: “I quit watching MSNBC because Joy Reid became so, so racist and bigoted. Then I quit watching CNN because they allowed all of the guests to come on and do nothing but berate and speak so negative, the name calling that their guests were doing.”
Noyes responded:
I think journalism would be better served if journalists stuck to the knitting of journalism instead of trying to be political kingmakers or drawing conclusions and acting like politicians. She is talking about Joy Reid on MSNBC. She is a former Democratic operative in Florida. She comes to MSNBC with a political background, and I think it's clear that she engages in a hardball version of politics on her show. She certainly has her fans, people like that. But it is much more politics than journalism. People who are looking for some kind of news or some kind of debate that makes you think probably don't like that type of thing. Clearly, the caller doesn't.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Washington Journal
6/10/2021PAT FROM DALLAS, TEXAS: Good morning. I had to call in because I think CNN is so liberal and I think Fox is great. As far as the elections, I am glad that Biden won although I am a conservative. I did not want Trump to win. — win a second time, but I watched Fox News because I feel like they are -- CNN, I cannot watch you. I wish I could. And MSNBC, they are worse than CNN. And I am not -- I am a conservative, but I am not far to the right. So, that is my comment. Y'all have a good morning.
BRIAN STELTER: Thank you. I appreciate your comment and I hope you'll give me a chance in the future. I think it is important that CNN cover all of the news, not from a liberal point of view, not from a conservative point of view, but from a reality-based point of view, it is our job, if we fail, we want to know and we want the feedback. I sometimes give out my email address on TV because I want viewers to know that if you think we are getting it wrong, tell us, tell us what to do, my email address is bstelter@gmail.com. I think it is important that we be reality-based, not left or right.
...
NANIA: I quit watching MSNBC because Joy Reid became so, so racist and bigoted. Then I quit watching CNN because they allowed all of the guests to come on and do nothing but berate and speak so negative, the name calling that their guests were doing. And then when it came to the local channels, which there are three, I got so fed up I got so fed up with them not showing us anything that’s going on anywhere, even the national section of the program, you've got nothing.
JOHN MCARDLE: So, Nania, what do you watch now?
NANIA; I watch a variety of all of them, but I will never go back to MSNBC or CNN. Never. Not when they allow their guests to speak to the public the way that they allowed them to. It was completely disgusting. And then the man you had on this morning, to sit there and take a full picture shot of him standing in a suit in his underwear.
MCARDLE: I'm not sure what you are referring to, but we will take your viewership question, her viewing diet.
NOYES: This is more of an example of people are turning their backs on media that they don't think respects them, respects the way they want the news to delivered. I think journalism would be better served if journalists stuck to the knitting of journalism instead of trying to be political kingmakers or drawing conclusions and acting like politicians. She is talking about Joy Reid on MSNBC. She is a former Democratic operative in Florida. She comes to MSNBC with a
political background, and I think it's clear that she engages in a hardball version of politics on her show. She certainly has her fans, people like that. But it is much more politics than journalism. People who are looking for some kind of news or some kind of debate that makes you think probably don't like that type of thing. Clearly, the caller doesn't.
