Media top headlines May 11
Martha MacCallum pressing a teachers union president over critical race theory and more round out today's top media headlines
CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter heaped praise Monday on Brianna Keilar and other anchors at the liberal network for their monologues defending "truth" and "decency," one day before Keilar called Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., an "a--" on the air.
Speaking at PolitiFact's "virtual festival of fact-checking" at a $100 "VIP experience," Stelter addressed a question about whether CNN blurred the lines with its hosts spouting opinions. Notably, Stelter mentioned in his answer far-left figures like Don Lemon and anchors billed as straight news hosts like Jake Tapper and Keilar in the same breath.
"I think CNN has evolved in a really heartening way in the past few years," he said. "I think it's been a big improvement, which is you do see anchors like Anderson [Cooper] and Don and Jake and Erin [Burnett] and Brianna and others providing first-person monologues or essays. Call them whatever you want."
CNN'S BRIANNA KEILAR CALLS RAND PAUL AN 'A--' AGAIN FOR QUESTIONING FAUCI
Stelter said it was a debate as to whether they constituted "opinion."
"It's the straight to camera comments about what is true, what is false, what is decent, and what is indecent," he said. "Fair-minded people can debate whether those are opinionated or not. Probably sometimes I do pop off an opinion per se, but a lot of the times what those essays are about, I think, are fact-checking nonsense, debunking these wrong statements and standing up for democracy and decency."
On Tuesday, Keilar again referred to Paul as an "a--" for what she deemed his falsely framed criticisms of White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci. Keilar, the newly minted host of CNN's struggling morning program "New Day," has called Paul an "a--" twice on air, as well as called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a "jacka--" for a testy interaction with a reporter. It is unclear if she has hurled similar insults at Democratic politicians.
Stelter notably omitted left-wing anchor Chris Cuomo from his list of decency-minded hosts on CNN, although he did boast later on in the session that CNN has covered the "New York governor" and his multiple scandals. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D., is the older brother of CNN's Cuomo, who is banned from covering his brother's problems but was allowed to interview him nine times last year during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Stelter was a special guest at the "United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking." It was billed as "a celebration of fact-checking featuring some of the most important voices in media, health care, politics and technology." Other guests at the event this week include left-wing CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour, MSNBC contributor Charlie Sykes, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.
Interviewed at the VIP event by PolitiFact editor-in-chief Angie Holan, Stelter appeared to acknowledge the new tendency by CNN to engage in "on-camera monologues" was a shift from its past, staunch focus on news.
"That is a big change at CNN, no doubt," he said of the network, which he joined in 2013 after a stint at the New York Times.
Later in the interview, Holan saluted billionaire Democratic donor Craig Newmark, the founder of Craig's List, for his financial support to PolitiFact and its parent, the Poynter Institute. Newmark supported President Biden's 2020 election campaign as well as a host of other Democratic candidates and causes over the years.
"The world needs more Craig Newmarks," Holan said.
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"He even tweets out my newsletter every night," Stelter said. "He's even better than my mother at that."