Kurtz Highlights Leftist Media Double Standard on Don Lemon Demotion

September 18th, 2022 4:40 PM

With the news this week of low-rated leftist CNN host, Don Lemon's demotion to mornings, Fox News MediaBuzz host Howard Kurtz noted the glaring double standard in media coverage of the move. Kurtz pointed out how there was barely any mention of Lemon's divisive and hyper-partisan commentary nor mentions of how being moved from primetime to early mornings is a serious demotion for Lemon. 

"CNN is throwing out its third-place New Day and launching a new morning show with Poppy Harlow, Kaitlin Collins, and Don Lemon. It’s a big move by new CNN boss Chris Licht who once helped create Morning Joe," Kurtz reported. 

He then remarked that "what’s striking is the media coverage. As a prime-time host, Don Lemon has been fiercely liberal and rabidly anti-Trump." 

Kurtz then aired one of Lemon's many personal attacks against former President Trump: 

DON LEMON (JULY 16, 2019): The President is a racist and he is a demagogue. That is just a fact.

"Yet that wasn't even mentioned or just barely eluded to in the media reports. Which mainly quoted Licht and the new co-anchors about how excited they are about their chemistry. Is the audience just supposed to magically forget Lemon's years of prickly partisanship?" Kurtz asked earnestly.

The Fox anchor then pointed out that: "The press sure is giving him a pass. Maybe most of the writers agree with Lemon’s anti-Trump stance" adding "can you imagine the reaction if one of Fox's most conservative opinion hosts was suddenly reinvented as a morning personality?" 

If Sean Hannity or Tucker Carlson were moved to mornings, the media would make sure to mention every chance they got to say it was a demotion, and they would be right. The media refuse to say anything critical of Lemon because he is a Democrat Party propagandist like them. 

To read the transcript of this segment click "expand": 

FNC’s MediaBuzz
9/18/2022
11:53:45 a.m. Eastern 

HOWARD KURTZ: CNN is throwing out its third-place New Day and launching a new morning show with Poppy Harlow, Kaitlin Collins, and Don Lemon. It’s a big move by new CNN boss Chris Licht who once helped create Morning Joe. But what’s striking is the media coverage. As a prime-time host, Don Lemon has been fiercely liberal and rabidly anti-Trump. 

DON LEMON (JULY 16, 2019): The President is a racist and he is a demagogue. That is just a fact. 

KURTZ: Yet that wasn't even mentioned or just barely eluded to in the media reports. Which mainly quoted Licht and the new co-anchors about how excited they are about their chemistry. Is the audience just supposed to magically forget Lemon's years of prickly partisanship? The press sure is giving him a pass. Maybe most of the writers agree with Lemon’s anti-Trump stance. Can you imagine the reaction if one of Fox's most conservative opinion hosts was suddenly reinvented as a morning personality?