Media top headlines August 5
In media news today, CNN execs reportedly suggested Chris Cuomo take 'temporary leave' to advise his brother, a reporter who accused Gov. Cuomo of bullying says CNN host needs to come clean about his role in brother's scandal, and MSNBC's Chris Hayes complains about how Sen. Rubio encouraged people to get vaccinated.
CNN's scandal-plagued anchor Chris Cuomo has kept quiet about the political woes hanging over his embattled brother, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but much of his coverage this week has been dedicated to attacking Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Cuomo brothers have had a rough few days after New York Attorney General Letitia James released her damning report outlining 11 sexual harassment allegations against the governor, which has sparked growing calls for his resignation and efforts to carry on with impeachment. The CNN anchor was also swept up in the report, revealing he took part in drafting a statement responding to the misconduct allegations earlier this year.
"Cuomo shouldn’t be on the air," Fox News contributor Joe Concha told Fox News. "This sentiment is shared by media observers across the board."
Notably, the younger Cuomo has stayed silent and avoided the controversy entirely on "Cuomo Prime Time" after twice offering uncomfortable statements to viewers responding to other chapters of the Cuomo saga in March and in May.
CNN EXECS REPORTEDLY SUGGESTED CHRIS CUOMO TAKE ‘TEMPORARY LEAVE’ TO ADVISE BROTHER AMID SCANDALS
"I do think it is appropriate that Chris himself not cover his brother, but a separate reporter should be providing news about Governor Cuomo on Chris's show," DePauw University journalism professor and media critic Jeffrey McCall told Fox News "After all, when the governor of New York is facing such a crisis, that is, indeed, news. Ignoring that topic during what CNN promotes as a ‘news’ show demonstrates a bias by omission."
While he's been steering clear of his brother's scandals, Chris Cuomo has instead focused his ire on the Republican governor and his ongoing response to the coronavirus outbreak in Florida, which has since seen a spike in cases amid the spread of the contagious Delta variant.
"You've got Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. He’s the one that started the ‘Don’t Fauci Florida’ campaign. Now you’ve got this pop in cases. You’re going to be held to account. You needed people to get vaccinated. You made a mockery of the man behind the vaccine, now here you are," Cuomo scolded the Florida governor on Monday.
(CNN/AP)
Cuomo spent over a whopping 20 minutes fixating on DeSantis and Florida's response to the virus on Monday night, the eve of the release of the New York AG report on his brother.
On Tuesday, he spent roughly 10 minutes piling on DeSantis instead of addressing the report. On Wednesday, he spent about nine minutes on the Sunshine State and its governor. On Thursday, an additional 12 minutes, which included an interview with DeSantis' Democratic gubernatorial rival, former Florida Governor and Congressman Charlie Crist.
In total, roughly 51 minutes, or 21%, of Cuomo's programming from Monday to Thursday was dedicated to DeSantis and Florida. Zero minutes were dedicated to his brother.
"It is quite interesting to see Chris Cuomo, of all people, trying to beat up on DeSantis," McCall reacted. "We know Chris was consulted on how to manage the damage for his governor brother. Now it appears he is again collaborating with the Democratic Party, which clearly has as its mission to discredit DeSantis and disrupt the Florida governor's possible presidential ambitions for 2024."
McCall continued, "DeSantis does, indeed, need to be the subject of news coverage on several levels, but Chris' overly antagonistic approach to this coverage again displays his subjectivity and comes off as rather shrill. In a sense, this comes off as 'don't look at the New York governor's scandals, look at how bad the Florida governor is!'"
NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck blasted CNN for being "willing to coddle someone who smears sexual assault survivors" in order to "use him as a foot soldier in the war against DeSantis," portraying the Republican as some sort of "murderous fiend."
"According to CNN's logic, it was perfectly fine for Chris to cover his brother when things were going well for him, but now it's not when it was proven that Andrew's persona and policies were deadly lies," Houck told Fox News.
Cornell Law School professor and media critic William A. Jacobson similarly placed the sole blame on Chris Cuomo's employer for lacking such journalistic integrity.
"Fault for the relative lack of coverage of Andrew Cuomo's problems, and disproportionate focus on attacking Ron DeSantis, lies squarely with CNN management, which should be the adults in the newsroom. Of course, Chris wants to help his brother, but family allegiances should not drive coverage," Jacobson said.
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As Concha summarized, Chris Cuomo's problems go far beyond the New York AG report.
"In aggregate, he got testing for COVID before anyone else had access, courtesy of his own brother. Faked his own quarantine on national television. Had a police report filed against him for verbally accosting an older man who asked why he was out whole sick and shedding the virus. Coached Michael Cohen on not only possible questions before a CNN interview, but provided possible answers," Concha said. "And now this: Advising an active governor on how to smear credible accusers of the governor of sexual harassment and misconduct."
"It’s cheesy, sad, and so obvious to anyone with a functioning brain how horrible this looks for the struggling network," Concha added.