The long hard fall of CNN
If you were hiking and came upon a dangerous precipice directly in front of you, and you were this close to it, I think you would have the good sense to step away. But what if the hiker was arrogant? What if they were convinced they were untouchable — even from falling off a cliff? This is precisely what we see now with a particular network, called CNN.
I want to say a few things about this cable network. One, there was a time when CNN was indeed a good station to watch. They broke serious news, focused on interesting stories, and had intelligent pundits. Alas, those days are long gone. CNN, you are at the Precipice. Step back and reevaluate.
Some might think my article is based on the suspension of Chris Cuomo. It is not yet I do want to address this suspension. Cuomo is not my favorite pundit. His “both sides” nonsense drives me crazy on occasion. Yet, I do believe he is a skilled and intelligent journalist.
And if he has done what some are claiming – then his show should be canceled. But I have no opinion at this moment because we do not know what he has and has not done.
This whole thing with Chris can be traced back to CNN. I blame them for much of this mess. CNN handled this all wrong from the start. A well-known Governor accused of sexual harassment whose brother worked for a television news outlet. What did they think would happen?
Please do not interpret this article as “in defense of Chris Cuomo.” It’s not. What it is though is a critique of CNN, whose ratings have fallen so low is, it’s stunning. And they will continue to fall if CNN keeps on like this.
How might they have handled this? How about not walking on eggshells? Have you ever walked on eggshells around someone — What a terrible feeling. Yet, from the beginning, this is all the network has done. By pretending nothing was amiss when everyone knew damn well the situation was far from normal, it brought unnecessary attention to the story and fueled the other side.
How different could things have been if they had given Chris the go-ahead to speak freely and regularly on what he was feeling? It would have lent authenticity for one. If CNN does permanently oust Cuomo, will Jake Tapper take his place? I am hearing whispers of this. That would be a terrible mistake.
