Erin Burnett OutFront

CNN Guest Claims Zimmerman Used Racial Slur, CNN Host Doesn't Correct Her
By Matt Hadro | July 25, 2013 | 1:46 PM EDT

When a CNN guest made an unsubstantiated claim that George Zimmerman called Trayvon Martin a racial slur, CNN's Erin Burnett wouldn't call her on it.

On the July 16 Erin Burnett OutFront, the 2008 Miss Black Massachusetts Safiya Songhai said, "So, I mean the idea that race played a role in the case – yes, it played a role in the case. He [Zimmerman] is on the tape saying "F-ing coons." Automatically it got racial." After she finished speaking, Burnett turned to fellow guest Stephanie Miller, without correcting Songhai's unsubstantiated accusation.

CNN Touts 'Incredibly Politically Sophisticated' Huma Abedin Learning From 'Mentor' Hillary Clinton
By Matt Hadro | July 24, 2013 | 11:31 PM EDT

On Tuesday and Wednesday, CNN followed NBC's narrative of connecting Huma Abedin to her "mentor" Hillary Clinton in dealing with husbands' sex scandals.

CNN repeatedly made the connection in a positive light, touting Abedin as "incredibly politically sophisticated," "intelligent," and "discerning" from her years working for Clinton. CNN insisted that Abedin would use the Clinton "playbook" to overcome her husband's scandal.

Oops: CNN Guest Who Accused SCOTUS of Using the N-Word Tries to Run From His Words
By Matt Hadro | July 3, 2013 | 2:58 PM EDT

As NewsBusters reported yesterday, CNN guest Tim Wise accused the Supreme Court of racism, saying they "basically called 40 million black folks that [N-word] without saying it" through their rulings on the Voting Rights Act and affirmative action.

Then on Tuesday night, Wise tried to sidestep his words and claim he didn't "exactly" say that, although he did "exactly" say that. "That was what a lot of white conservatives were attacking me for today, basically saying that I had, you know, essentially accused John Roberts of calling 40 million black folks the N-word. That's not exactly what I said," Wise argued on Tuesday's OutFront.

MRC Study: CNN Hands Airwaves to Liberals After Supreme Court Decisions
By Matt Hadro | June 27, 2013 | 3:16 PM EDT

CNN really showed its bias in reacting to two very different Supreme Court decisions this week. On Tuesday, the Court struck down a portion of the 1965 Voting Rights Act; in the hours that followed, CNN's coverage included four times as many critics of the decision as supporters (8 vs. 2).

Then on Wednesday, the Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act and permitted the nullification of California's Proposition 8 banning gay marriage. This time, CNN's coverage skewed in favor of the Court, with roughly three times as many on-air guests supporting that decision as opposing it (20 vs. 7).

Reihan Salam Slaps Down Stephanie Miller's Hackish Defense of Weiner
By Matt Hadro | May 23, 2013 | 3:16 PM EDT

On Wednesday's Erin Burnett OutFront, lefty radio host Stephanie Miller tried to be funny while downplaying Anthony Weiner's Twitter scandal as just an eighth-grade stunt and a "guy thing."

"Which middle school did you go to, Stephanie?" conservative CNN contributor Reihan Salam shot her down. And host Erin Burnett wouldn't have Miller's hackery, either: "I got to say, Stephanie, I beg to differ with you. This is pretty bizarre."

CNN Covered Arias Trial More In One Day Than the Gosnell Trial In Eight Weeks
By Matt Hadro | May 14, 2013 | 10:44 AM EDT

CNN gave more coverage to the Jodi Arias trial in one day than it did to the entire Kermit Gosnell trial over the span of eight weeks. NewsBusters already reported how the congressional hearings on the Benghazi attacks disappeared amidst CNN's incessant live coverage of tabloid crime stories.

When the verdict was reached in the Arias trial last Wednesday, CNN's coverage for the day totaled almost a whopping three hours. In contrast, the network gave just under 100 minutes to the Gosnell story in eight weeks since the trial began on March 18.

30 Times More Coverage! CNN Trumps Up Tabloid Stories But Buries Benghazi
By Matt Hadro | May 9, 2013 | 5:11 PM EDT

On Wednesday evening, CNN barely covered the congressional hearing on the Benghazi attack from earlier that afternoon. Instead, the network provided wall-to-wall coverage of the Jodi Arias trial verdict and the Cleveland kidnappings.

From the hours of 5 p.m. until 11 p.m. ET, CNN gave a whopping 4 hours, 9 minutes of coverage to the two crime stories, but a measly eight minutes to Benghazi -- over 30 times more coverage. And three of CNN's prime-time shows didn't even mention Benghazi.

Erin Burnett Hosts Liberal Gripe Session on Obama, GOP Congress
By Matt Hadro | May 2, 2013 | 4:38 PM EDT

CNN's Erin Burnett hosted a liberal roundtable on her Wednesday show to gripe about President Obama's shortcomings and whack Republican members of Congress for obstructing his agenda.

How often would CNN host a conservative roundtable to complain about the Republican leadership? Regardless, liberal comedian Dean Obeidallah warned that Obama could become a "lame duck president" while lefty radio host Stephanie Miller and Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen largely focused more blame on Republican obstructionists. [Video coming soon. Audio here.]

Selective Outrage? CNN Briefly Mentions Obama Gun Gaffe; Jumps All Over 'Best-Looking' Compliment
By Matt Hadro | April 5, 2013 | 7:12 PM EDT

Call it the tale of two gaffes. CNN only briefly covered President Obama's blunder that the gun used in the Sandy Hook shooting was an automatic weapon. Meanwhile, the network gave almost 40 minutes on Friday to outrage over Obama calling California's Attorney General "the best-looking attorney general in the country."

CNN's Jake Tapper was the only CNN anchor or reporter who caught Obama's "automatic" gun error. He reported it twice, once during his 4 p.m. ET show The Lead and later on while filling in for host Erin Burnett on OutFront. Automatic weapons are already strictly regulated and have been for decades; the gun used at Sandy Hook was a semi-automatic weapon.

CNN Plays Up Gay Marriage Debate on Right, Ignores Division on the Left
By Jessie Reed | March 28, 2013 | 10:32 PM EDT

As has been widely reported, the subject of gay marriage has split the Republican Party. Most Republicans support traditional marriage, but many also support gay marriage. What you may be unaware of is that the issue has split the Democratic Party even more.

On Tuesday evening, CNN host Erin Burnett focused an entire segment on the GOP’s division, and brushed over the Democratic split until a guest brought it up.

Glenn Beck, CNN's Erin Burnett Clash Over 'Devil' Character in 'Bible' Miniseries
By Randy Hall | March 20, 2013 | 9:43 PM EDT

It's easy to tell when a television series is a success because elements from the program start popping up in the oddest places. The latest example of this is the History Channel's wildly popular “The Bible” miniseries, which featured an actor representing the devil in last Sunday's episode. Soon after, Glenn Beck asked in a tweet if anyone else thought the character looked exactly like President Obama.

On the following day, CNN's Erin Burnett accused the “right-wing radio host” of having an “ugly history” of demeaning the Democratic occupant of the White House by calling him “That Guy,” “Satan” or “the Antichrist.” Beck responded on his Wednesday program by calling the accusation “complete hogwash” and “a blatant smear.”

Erin Burnett to Laura Bush: Should America Accept Anti-Semitism To Effect Change In Middle East?
By Noel Sheppard | March 12, 2013 | 12:50 AM EDT

CNN's Erin Burnett on Monday asked former first lady Laura Bush a truly disgusting question.

In a segment about the George W. Bush Institute's Women's Initiative Fellowship Program and its involvement with a group of Egyptian women, Burnett asked Mrs. Bush if the United States needs to "accept" anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism "when we want to make change" (video follows with transcript and commentary):