CNN does not seem particularly enthused about Tucker Carlson’s as-yet-unseen interview with notorious Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
Indeed, based on the reaction of CNN host Erin Burnett on Tuesday, Carlson’s actions are the equivalent of fighting alongside Adolf Hitler in World War II.
Even the news ticker for CNN’s report denounced Carlson as a “Putin sympathizer” without providing any proof for such a bold accusation — and all before Burnett even got to the heart of her report.
When she did … well, she made the news ticker look almost mild in comparison.
First, in a clip from her show shared by Breaking 911 on X, she introduced Carlson’s visit to Russia by referring to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s ongoing confrontation with his own military as a “massive shakeup in Kiev coming as Putin … [tries] to court the MAGA GOP in the United States.”
CNN is TRIGGERED that @TuckerCarlson is in Russia to interview Putin:
“Putin is trying to court the MAGA GOP in the United States! In fact, one of the leaders of the MAGA GOP is in Moscow tonight! It’s the man you see here with the MAGA leader Donald Trump.” pic.twitter.com/VtdgFidfqZ
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 7, 2024
She then turned to Carlson’s presence in Moscow, calling him “one of the members of the MAGA GOP” (granted, he’s a media figure, not a politician, but let’s leave that one to the side for now), and characterizing his visit as “possibly there to interview Putin, definitely there as a Putin-supporting celebrity.”
Oh, please.
Will you watch the interview?
She then explained that, while it’s “unclear whether Putin and Carlson will sit down for an interview,” but it would “give Putin a chance to sit down with a big supporter.”
(Note: Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that the interview took place, according to Newsweek.)
And how did Burnett prove this outlandish accusation? By sharing a clip of Carlson from his Fox News show right before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In the clip, Carlson asked his viewers rhetorically “why do I hate Putin so much?” He then demonstrated how unfounded such an intense personal hatred is, asking his viewers “has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he ever threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him?”
Now, a normal person might watch that clip (in context), and find his point perfectly reasonable — Putin is certainly not a good person, but he had done nothing to Carlson’s viewers personally.
Burnett, however, used that clip to conclude that Carlson is Putin’s No. 1 fan, recalling, in a voice dripping with contempt, how she’ll “always remember watching that clip. I was standing in Ukraine, 48 hours before the war began there.”
The implication is obvious. She claimed that Carlson “stood by Putin consistently all the way through,” and even accused Carlson of being “Putin’s mouthpiece in the United States,” and of turning “a blind eye to the atrocities committed by Putin.”
Whatever its contents, however, there’s no denying the Carlson interview will be news — the kind of news a “news” organization like CNN might have been interested in once.
Carlson isn’t exactly known for producing puff pieces that might appear in People magazine. His is the first interview Putin has conducted with a Western media figure since the invasion began, as Newsweek reported.
Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelenskyy himself has sat down for plenty such interviews — why is it such a scandal for Carlson to do the same for the leader in the Kremlin? (In fact, in a video posted to X on Monday explaining why he was interviewing Putin, Carlson said he had requested an interview with Zelenskyy as well, and that he hoped the request would be granted.)
As of right now, the U.S. is not technically fighting this war (despite our government’s best efforts), and understanding the viewpoints of both combatants, right or wrong, might even help this war come to an equitable conclusion.
There is no question that Putin is a reprehensible person, but that doesn’t mean media figures still shouldn’t do their jobs.
The fact that a prominent CNN host is slandering Carlson as a Putin supporter for the mere act of interviewing a head of state is clear evidence that the network no longer cares about journalism in this conflict, only propaganda.
