CNN’s Very Bad Week

It’s been a tough couple of days for CNN. Yesterday, the network announced the resignation (firing, I assume) of three journalists–Eric Lichtblau, recently hired away from the New York Times, Thomas Frank, and the head of the network’s new investigative unit, Lex Haris. They published a Russia/Trump story that turned out to be false (embarrassingly so, the quality of the reporting was abysmal) and had to be retracted by CNN.

It is no coincidence that CNN’s fake news story had to do with Russia. CNN’s CEO told the network’s reporters that it was nice to cover climate change, but it’s time to get back to Russia. How do we know this?

Because today, an even worse shoe dropped. James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas has infiltrated CNN, and he has video of a CNN producer admitting that the network’s Russia fixation is “mostly bullshit,” but they do it because it brings in the money. Paul wrote about O’Keefe’s dynamite video this morning; if you missed it then you should watch it now. The CNN producer says things like “it’s mostly bulls**t right now.” And “I think the president is probably right to say, like, look you are witch hunting me.”

Here is the video:

This is, of course, a body blow to whatever is left of CNN’s credibility. But the bad news doesn’t end there. O’Keefe says today’s video is just Part 1. He has more on CNN, and he has put other corrupt news media on notice. So there could be more fireworks soon.

President Trump lost no time claiming vindication–rightly, according to the CNN producer.

Later in the day, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders let CNN have it:

Notable quotes:

It’s the barrage of fake news directed at the president that has garnered his frustration. … We have gone to a place where if the media can’t be trusted to report the news, then that’s a dangerous place for America.
***
There are multiple instances when that outlet [CNN] has been wrong—there’s a video circulating now, whether it’s accurate or not, I’m not sure—but I encourage everyone to take a look at it. If it is accurate, I think it’s a disgrace to all of media, to all of journalism.
***
The media has been going on [the] Russia, Trump-hoax for the better part of a year now, and America is looking for something more.

It is too early to say that CNN’s days are numbered, but for what it is worth, I don’t think this would be a good time to buy Time Warner stock.

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