Joe Concha: The press is trying to protect John Fetterman
Fox News contributor Joe Concha discusses the backlash facing NBC reporter Dasha Burns, who noted Democratic Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman's health issues.
The wife of Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman ripped NBC journalist Dasha Burns for claiming he had a "difficult" time with small talk prior to their interview, suggesting she should face "consequences."
Gisele Barreto Fetterman claimed Burns’ statements were a "disservice" to her husband, to the disabled community and to Americans in general.
Burns received a torrent of criticism from liberal media figures after noting that Fetterman had a "difficult time" engaging her and her team in small talk prior to the interview. She added that Fetterman was fine once they got to the discussion, which was aided by closed captioned questions for the candidate.
LIBERALS RUSH TO DEFEND FETTERMAN AS REPORTERS QUESTION HIS MENTAL FITNESS FOLLOWING NBC INTERVIEW
Dasha Burns interviews John Fetterman for NBC News. (NBC News / YouTube)
Though liberals claimed Burns’ interview and post-interview statements insinuated that Fetterman was impaired, Burns defended herself, tweeting on Wednesday, "We were happy to accommodate closed captioning. Our reporting did not and should not comment on fitness for office. This is for voters to decide. What we do push for as reporters is transparency. It’s our job. Fetterman sat down and answered our questions. That’s his job."
Fetterman’s wife commented on the NBC reporter’s statements during the latest episode of left-wing writer Molly Jong-Fast’s podcast, where she explained the shock and anger she felt because of the interview.
Jong-Fast didn’t hold back on Burns, either, introducing the segment by asking, "With that interview yesterday, when the journalist sort of took some liberties with her sort of supposition of his health, how did you feel?"
Jong-Fast, a staunch Democratic Party supporter, tweeted out a defense of Fetterman’s cognitive abilities after the interview and Burns’ assessment, writing, "I interviewed @JohnFetterman here, he understood everything I was saying and he was funny."
Mrs. Fetterman responded to Jong-Fast, saying "I don't like saying ‘rage’ because I think that's a really unhealthy feeling. And when you feel those things, it only harms yourself. But I just, you know, what a disservice that she did to not only my husband, but to anyone facing a disability and working through it."
NBC reporter blasted for her comments about interviewing John Fetterman. (Fox News)
She wondered why Burns didn’t face "consequences" for the statements and accused her of being ableist. Fetterman’s wife said, "And I don't know how there were not consequences, right? I mean, there are consequences for folks in these positions who are any of the isms. I mean, she was ableist and that's what she was in her interview."
She continued, saying it "was appalling to the entire disability community and I think to journalism."
FETTERMAN STILL HAS 'A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING' CONVERSATIONS, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT REPORTS
She added, "So I was shocked. I'm still really upset about it. And I think the positive is it's brought a lot of conversations around accommodations, around rights, around ableism. I mean, ableism was trending on Twitter. It just shows there’s so much work to do."
Fetterman's wife continued, saying, "But these networks have to take accountability. Right. Like, where is your training? Right. It was appalling to see, and you see that in schools. You see that with young children. You don't expect to see it at this level."
She then noted she didn’t get an apology for the comments: "And, you know, I haven't heard an apology. It hasn't come. I am hopeful that, you know, they will reflect and see that they did an incredible disservice to all Americans."
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John Fetterman, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania and Democratic senate candidate, speaks during a campaign rally in Pittsburgh on Oct. 1, 2022. (Nate Smallwood/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
An NBC News spokesperson told Fox News Digital it stood by Burns in the face of the media onslaught, although she received little public support from network colleagues. "Today" host Savannah Guthrie even openly questioned Burns, an NBC colleague, about other journalists having different experiences with Fetterman.
"Dasha is a widely respected beat reporter on the Pennsylvania Senate race and has provided in-depth reporting from the state for the better part of the last year. We stand behind her extensive coverage of all the important dimensions of this year’s Senate campaigns," the spokesperson said.