The merger of Discovery Inc. with CNN’s parent company, Warner Media, in the spring left viewers — and even non-CNN viewers — wondering what changes were in store for the network’s “talent” roster.
Last week, Brian Stelter, CNN’s chief media correspondent and host of “Reliable Sources,” was the first “personality” to get the ax. Dubbed the “fake news Humpty Dumpty” by Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Stelter was known for his extremely biased coverage of the conservative media. His last show was Sunday.
Joe Concha on CNN firing Brian Stelter: He ‘sealed his own fate’ https://t.co/xueOg2mt2g
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 19, 2022
So, was Stelter’s inglorious exit a singular event or simply the first of more to come?
News Cycle Media President Jon Nicosia reported last week that a shakeup is underway at CNN and it may claim the likes of network personalities Jim Acosta, John Berman, Alyson Camerota, Brianna Keilar, John King, Don Lemon and Jake Tapper. If true, this is welcome news for the conservative media, particularly for Fox News, which has borne the brunt of these hosts’ vitriol.
Source: Once the coming shakeup at @CNN is done, don’t expect John Berman, Alisyn Camerota, Jim Acosta, Brianna Keilar, Jake Tapper, John King, and Don Lemon to still be at the network OR have their current show assignments.”
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) August 19, 2022
They go on “The final ‘stay or go’ has not been finalized and more names will be added”
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) August 19, 2022
These hosts label anything they disagree with as either “misinformation” or “disinformation.” Rather than presenting the news, they try to shape the news.
Upon hearing word that billionaire Elon Musk planned to buy Twitter and turn it into the forum for free speech it should be, for instance, Lemon said, “I don’t think anyone disagrees this should be a free and open debate or platform. But, I mean, shouldn’t it … not necessarily be a font for misinformation? Or to, you know, say things about people that just aren’t true?”
Elon Musk says he wants to make Twitter “better than ever.”@donlemon talks to @karaswisher about what’s next for the platform after the billionaire’s bid for the site was accepted. Watch: pic.twitter.com/xVquL1VI69
— Don Lemon Tonight (@DonLemonTonight) April 26, 2022
In the clip below, CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, who, ironically, began her career as a Fox News anchor, asked viewers what Liz Cheney’s defeat might mean for American democracy.
“A close watch on Wyoming and what happens there tonight could add to a trend,” Camerota said Tuesday. “And that is election deniers winning primaries around the nation. What does that mean for our democracy and the risk of more chaos like what we saw on Jan. 6?”
One Twitter user was happy to answer. “It means it’s working.”
CNN wonders what Liz Cheney losing might “mean for our democracy.” pic.twitter.com/qHXM01dikC
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 17, 2022
Meanwhile, Jim Acosta, who made a name for himself by turning coverage of the Trump White House into his personal media circus has been relegated to CNN’s weekend coverage staff. But that hasn’t kept him from inflicting his views on the nation.
Although ridding the network of these spinners of the “truth” would do wonders for the accuracy of CNN’s news, Townhall’s Matt Vespa made the case in a piece published Sunday that regular CNN viewers are “glued to these clowns” and firing them now “could be bad timing.”
“If Trump runs again, the network will need Lemon, Acosta, and others to kick the hornet’s nest again,” he wrote. “At the end of the day, while I know gutting CNN of their liberal cancers would be optimal, it’s also a business. So, I could see this going either way regarding these potential firings.
Do you think CNN should fire all of these hosts?
“The new top brass could get rid of these folks and tread water for 2024, hoping their recent relaunch doesn’t implode. Or they do a 180-degree turn, keep the Trump-hating hosts and contributors, and make a boatload of cash again.”
Although the sacking of any of these polarizing propagandists would elicit waves of schadenfreude among conservatives, in the end, it will make little difference unless the outlook of CNN’s executives and the mainstream media changes radically as a whole.
For every terrorist that is eliminated from the battlefield, a dozen more are waiting in the wings to replace him. Similarly, there is no shortage of biased journalists lurking in the shadows eager to become the next Don Lemon or Brianna Keilar.
