ABC’s Robin Roberts sat down with CNN’s Brian Stelter, host of Reliable Sources, to discuss her newest book “Everybody's Got Something” and was treated to softball question after softball question.
Appearing in an interview that aired on Sunday, May 18, Stelter asked Roberts “Michael Sam talks about thinking that maybe he will be a beacon for others. Do you think about it in the same way?” [See video below.]
CBS News has come under fire for a supposed conflict of interest between its president David Rhodes and his Brother Ben Rhodes, President Obama’s Deputy National Security Advisor and CNN’s Reliable Sources did its best to dismiss the issue.
Appearing on Sunday, May 11, CNN host Brian Stelter argued that “CBS has at times been so aggressive covering Benghazi that I've had sources describe it to me as overcompensating. In other words, the network perceived to have gone out of its way to pursue the story to inoculate itself against charges of a brotherly conflict of interest.” [See video below.]
In the textbooks, journalists are supposed to be watchdogs of government – not just government of one party, but both parties. If Edward Snowden’s massive leaks on government surveillance programs (approved by presidents of both parties) win a Pulitzer Prize for “Public Service,” why isn’t exposing President Obama’s scandals like Benghazi and IRS harassment hailed as a public service?
This isn’t just an issue for liberal judges of the Pulitzers and other journalism prizes, but for CNN Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter, who on Easter Sunday grilled Sharyl Attkisson about her alleged failures and "conservative bias," and then turned around and treated Pulitzer-winning Glenn Greenwald like he was God’s gift to journalism. David Gregory was "infamous" for challenging his propriety:
Have you ever seen a four year old kid who is completely closed to any type of reasoning? Typically his hands will cover his ears and he will scream loudly to block out any arguments others might give to the contrary. Well, CNN has become that unreasoning four year old kid.
And what type of reasoning is CNN attempting to block out? Anything that might contradict their blind faith in global warming or climate change as they now call it. Yes, CNN has declared that there are no two sides to the climate change debate. Here is the amazing shutdown debate statement written by Hardy Spire that CNN released in a promo for today's Reliable Sources:
Leftist actor-director Robert Redford laid into Republicans in a Sunday interview on CNN’s “Reliable Sources.” Try not to notice this journalism show began with a Justin Bieber segment and included a Redford interview. Host Brian Stelter first asked how Redford felt about Obama. "I think he's a good human being. That's, I think, clear," Redford replied. "He's a humanitarian at heart, and that's good. He's trying to manage an extremely difficult situation. I mean, it's -- it's almost too much for one person."
He wouldn't say the same for the GOP: “When you have one half whose only motive is to destroy the motives of the president of the United States, then you have a diseased system. And I don't think that's his fault. I think it just makes his job tougher.” Redford lamely claimed there was bipartisanship in getting to “truth” in Watergate: [See video after jump.]
Cable News Network president Jeff Zucker used his keynote address at the RealScreen Summit in Washington, D.C., on Monday to promote his “new vision” for CNN that he said has expanded beyond reporting breaking news while including documentaries and films in its programming, which he described as “more shows, less newscasts.”
“We’re never going to stray from breaking news,” Zucker stated before noting that CNN “provides more news coverage on a daily basis than any other TV network in America” while broadening out “our offerings to the public, and we have moved into the nonfiction world with some success thus far.”
THIS is CNN!
On Sunday's Reliable Sources, vulgar comedienne Kathy Griffin - who will once again be co-hosting CNN's New Year's Eve special this year despite kissing Anderson Cooper's crotch on air last year! - actually asked new host Brian Stelter, "Have you ever spooned with Candy Crowley?...You might get a better time slot" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
My nomination for the dumbest comment of the week by a television host on a news channel goes to CNN's Brian Stelter.
While talking to Slate's Aisha Harris about the reaction to her article calling for Santa Claus to be a penguin, the new Reliable Sources host wondered if Megyn Kelly wouldn't have been so adamant about Santa being white if Fox News had more black viewers (video follows with transcript and commentary):
Eric Deggans of National Public Radio sat in the guest-host chair on CNN's "Reliable Sources" show on Sunday, and pressed Amy Holmes of TheBlaze TV several times on how she should be more forgiving of Martin Bashir's outrageous remarks about Sarah Palin. First, he suggested, "Martin Bashir apologized for his comments. He reached out to the Palin family.Is there really a problem here? Or are competitors and partisan people try to make an issue being made out of something that has already passed?"
One doesn't have to be a partisan to suggest an on-air apology might seem like a weak punishment. Holmes cited that MSNBC removed David Shuster from the air (never to return) for suggesting Hillary Clinton "pimped out" her daughter Chelsea on the campaign trail. So Deggans turned the issue to Glenn Beck, who Holmes works for: [See video after jump. MP3 audio here.]
On Sunday's Reliable Sources, former PBS and CBS reporter Terence Smith said President Obama "has a point" when complaining of media malpractice in covering ObamaCare.
"I think, in fact, in this case, the President has a point, however, that headlines like that, 'Disaster,' you're labeling ObamaCare before it has a chance," insisted Smith, who once defended the legacy of Jimmy Carter while ripping Reagan's management of government.
MSNBC isn’t the only network with an under-30 host. CNN has hired 28-year-old New York Times media reporter Brian Stelter to host its Sunday media show Reliable Sources. Stelter has guest-hosted a few times already since longtime host Howard Kurtz left for Fox News.
Earlier this year, Stelter's book Top of the Morning came out, about the network morning shows, including a takedown of the "general meanness" on the set of NBC's Today. Time's James Poniewozik adds he'll be leaving the Times, not working at both media outlets:
Former New York Times editor Bill Keller on Sunday perfectly demonstrated liberal media hypocrisy.
Moments after claiming on CNN's Reliable Sources that people who "deny climate change" shouldn't be given "equal time," he said "be wary of the guy who says he's got the absolute truth" (video follows with transcript and commentary):