While former President Donald Trump, who is running for the US presidential election next year, is criticized for overturning his previous “false” claims at a town hall meeting hosted by CNN, criticism is pouring into CNN, which broadcast the event live for an hour on the 11th (local time). .
It is pointed out that CNN laid the ‘plate’ for Trump, who usually lies and rants in front of at least 3 million viewers in the United States during prime time on the afternoon of the 10th, to repeat the same act.
This is Trump’s first appearance on CNN since he was a presidential candidate in 2016. During his presidency, he attacked CNN as “fake news” and retaliated by suspending reporters at the White House, including CNN anchor Caitlin Collins, for asking uncomfortable questions.
On CNN, which he revisited after 7 years, he denied the results of the 2020 presidential election and repeatedly defended the violence at the 1st and 6th Capitol. The previous day, he completely denied the allegation of sexual harassment, for which he was ordered to compensate by the court, and did not hesitate to attack the opponent.
Criticism poured out not only within the company but also from the same camp, the Democratic Party and the media, for CNN, which broadcast it live.
“The spectacle of lies that aired on CNN Wednesday evening made it hard to know how to work for America,” CNN reporter Oliver Darcy wrote in a blog post on the company’s website.
“Trump continued to make disrespectful remarks throughout the evening spewing out false information about the country that a significant number of Republicans would still want to believe,” it added.
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York) said, “CNN should be ashamed of itself.” It was manipulated,” he criticized.
After the meeting, CNN host Jake Tepper acknowledged the limitations, saying, “There wasn’t enough time to fact-check all the lies Trump told.”
The New York Times (NYT) described the broadcast as “a bold preview of the political coverage to come” and cited some CNN critics as saying, “It would be reckless to allow Trump to speak live to millions during prime time.” all.
The NYT said, “Trump’s propensity to spread lies is already well known,” and “even Fox News has not been able to broadcast Trump live for several months.”
On the other hand, CNN refuted such criticism, saying, “Our role and responsibility is to get answers and hold those in power accountable.”
CNN said in a statement that host Collins “showed what it means to be a world-class journalist,” adding that “he asked tough, fair and open questions. And as Trump enters the 2024 presidential race as the Republican frontrunner, we track and fact-check vital information to voters about his stance in real time.”
According to AFP, the positions of media experts were also somewhat different.
David Greenberg, a journalism professor at Rutgers University, said he was critical of Trump, but repression was not the answer.
“In a democratic society, people should be allowed to form independent judgments,” he said.
On the other hand, Matt Jordan, an associate professor of media studies at Penn State University, denounced CNN as causing terrible harm to the public interest by broadcasting entertainment rather than news.
“Responsible journalism needs to fact-check the news before airing it,” said Associate Professor Jordan.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.