By Carl Golden
CNN, stuck firmly in last place in ratings among the three major cable TV news stations, faced a defining moment for its’ future and its credibility.
Chris Cuomo, the network’s top-rated news anchor, had pinned the network into a corner by months of deception and dissembling his deep involvement and use of network resources to salvage the career of his brother Andrew, then governor of New York who was facing multiple accusations of sexual harassment.
He forced a decision on CNN management, leaving it no alternative but to suspend him indefinitely leaving his future in doubt.
Its position was untenable. At stake was whether the network could begin a recuperative process and re-establish itself as a legitimate, trusted news source or consign itself to permanent ratings purgatory, available only in airport baggage claim areas with the volume turned off.
The damaging revelations in documents and transcripts released by the attorney general of New York laid bare a clear-cut case of egregious ethical misconduct.
According to the material released, Chris Cuomo conferred regularly with the former top aide to his governor brother, passing along the information to her and — in the most damning and unforgivable revelation — offered to use his news sources to elicit information about potential new developments in the case, including additional harassment accusations, and to warn his brother of what was to come.
Under the weight of 11 women coming forward with horrific tales of the governor’s unwanted advances and groping, he resigned in August, his political future as a candidate or commanding national figure in shambles.
Scurrying for cover in light of the new revelations, CNN initially said it would spend several days thoroughly evaluating and assessing the documents before taking any action.
The pressure and growing outcries became so great, however, that the strategy of delay collapsed within hours and a decision was reached to remove Cuomo from the air.
Despite his earlier involvement in assisting his brother’s executive office staff and political advisers in crafting answers and explanations to the harassment allegations, the occupants of the CNN boardroom dismissed them after he apologized, promised to avoid a repeat situation and described his actions as an understandable desire to come to his brother’s aid in a time of trauma and public criticism.
The network leadership barely tapped him on the wrist and decided an acceptable solution was to prohibit him from covering his brother’s difficulties on the air, allowing him to confer with his brother on a personal basis, but not deal with the staff.
CNN proudly announced it had acted decisively and firmly by slicing the baloney this thin.
The actions outlined by the attorney general, however, were too much to bear or justify.
Breaking the most fundamental rule of journalism — using status as a reporter to gain insights useful to a public figure under investigatory siege — evidently came easy to Chris.
Familial bonds run deep and in times of stress dominate one’s thinking and judgment. It is understandable on one level that Chris the reporter rushed to defend Andrew the governor against accusations that threatened to end his political career in disgrace.
Disregarding his duty as a reporter and his responsibility to tell the truth to his audience was the absolute worst way to go about it.
If he felt so deeply about his brother’s well-being and could contribute to easing it, taking a leave of absence from the network was the proper and honorable step to take.
By using — or abusing — his position at CNN to provide aid and comfort to his brother, he embarked on a cringe-worthy journey of deception and inflicted grievous damage on a profession already held in low esteem by the public at large.
Confidence in the mainstream news media has fallen to historic lows with poll after poll showing a deep distrust and a belief that news is driven by personal and political biases rather than a search for truth.
By his actions, Chris Cuomo contributed to that cynicism, undermined the integrity of his media colleagues and disrespected journalism as a profession.
CNN management concluded that a failure to act or respond timidly, as it had done in the earlier controversy, would demonstrate they share the disrespect.
The sad thing is, if he’d taken a leave of absence to help his brother and misused CNN’s sources, a suspension might have sufficed. Journalistically, this requires dismissal. https://t.co/QaCxU04wKR
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) November 30, 2021
Among those who took to social media was longtime opinion rabble-rouser and national scold Keith Olbermann who demanded Cuomo be fired forthwith.
If you’re on the ideological left and lose Olbermann, it’s game, set and match.
Carl Golden is a senior contributing analyst with the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Here’s how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.
"Opinion" - Google News
December 02, 2021 at 06:03AM
https://ift.tt/32IeC0W
CNN’s Chris Cuomo deserves what he got | Opinion - nj.com
"Opinion" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2FkSo6m
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
No comments:
Post a Comment