Steve Cortes was one of CNN’s few pro-Trump pundits before he left the liberal network earlier this month to work for America First.
"Besides the shameful mockery from the CNN contributor and the other guest, the segment also revealed the clear intolerance of the host. During my tenure at CNN, I repeatedly challenged, on-air, the bias of Don Lemon — and he always claimed journalistic objectivity. This clip showcases the truth for the whole country to ascertain for themselves,” Cortes told Fox News.
CNN has long billed itself as a straight-news network but critics feel it has drifted further to the left during the Trump administration. The controversial segment, which has since been turned into a commercial for the GOP, features Lemon and two guests mocking and laughing at the president and his supporters.
Lemon addressed the segment Tuesday night, after it had gone viral, saying "didn't catch everything that was said," but Cortes feels the damage has been done.
"Cable news should offer robust reporting as well as strong opinion commentary. When outlets blur those lines, they do a disservice to the audience, and harm our country by destroying trust in media,” Cortes added. “I wish some of my former colleagues at CNN, like Don Lemon, would be transparent and admit what any viewer already knows — that they are opinion talk hosts and not journalists."
No way he didn’t hear what they were saying. And his laughter only intensified as Wilson and Ali continually mocked Trump supporters in a dumb hick southern accent.
But even if he really didn’t hear it, shouldn’t he at the very least apologize for what his guests said on HIS show? They were mocking a whole group of people, something Lemon claimed he doesn’t do! If it was so offensive that he felt the need to distance himself from it, you’d think he would apologize for this happening on HIS show, vowing to never let it happen again. But no, nothing. All we got from Lemon was him trying to cover his own butt, and he probably only did it because Zucker realized how bad it made CNN look and told him to fix it.
It was a pathetic response and he deserves all of the animus he gets for not owning up to his mistake and those of his guests.
CNN's Don Lemon explains handling of segment after Trump criticism
ReplyDeleteCNN anchor Don Lemon on Tuesday night addressed a segment from the weekend that drew criticism from President Trump in which the host laughed after a guest mocked supporters of the president.
"Ask anyone who knows me," Lemon said at the end of his show Tuesday while addressing the segment. "They'll tell you: I don't believe in belittling people ... for who they are, for what they believe or where they're from."
Lemon said that while he found the "joke" from the guest to be funny at the time, he "didn't catch everything that was said."
"I was laughing at the joke and not at any group of people," he concluded.
During a segment on Saturday, Lemon had a panel discussion with GOP strategist Rick Wilson and New York Times columnist and CNN contributor Wajahat Ali. Both Wilson and Ali have been staunch critics of Trump during his presidency.
Lemon laughed after Wilson said, "Trump couldn’t find Ukraine on a map if you had the letter 'U' and a picture of an actual physical crane next to it."
Wilson kept going, calling Trump supporters "the credulous boomer rube demo."
The interaction drew the ire of Trump, who retweeted the segment early Tuesday morning, adding, "Don Lemon, the dumbest man on television (with terrible ratings!)."
Others on social media also criticized the segment, including former CNN senior digital producer Steve Krakauer.
"If Donald Trump wins re-election this year, I’ll remember this brief CNN segment late one Saturday night in January as the perfect encapsulation for why it happened," he tweeted.
Don Lemon clarifies remarks after President Trump called him the 'dumbest man on television'
ReplyDeleteDon Lemon is setting the record straight on a CNN clip that angered President Donald Trump.
The clip shows Lemon and two guests weighing in on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and NPR host Mary Louise Kelly's Ukraine discussion. The anchor called Pompeo's suggestion that Kelly couldn't find the country on a map a "petty attempt to put her down."
Author Rick Wilson concurred: "He also knows, deep in his heart, that Donald Trump couldn't find Ukraine on a map if you had the letter 'U' and a picture of an actual, physical crane," he said. "He knows that this is an administration defined by ignorance of the world. So that's partly him playing to their base and playing to their audience: the credulous boomer rube demo."
Wilson and fellow guest Wajahat Ali, a New York Times and CNN contributor, traded quips in Southern accents, pretending to be Trump supporters slamming "you elitists with your geography and your maps and your spelling," Ali joked.
"Your math and your readin'," Wilson added. Lemon laughed and wiped tears from his eyes.
"Sorry, hold on, wait," the host interjected through chuckles. "Give me a second, hold on. That was good, sorry. That was a good one. I needed that."
Trump responded Tuesday to the clip, dubbing Lemon "the dumbest man on television (with terrible ratings!)."
His daughter Ivanka chimed in, slamming the "arrogance, mocking accents and smug ridicule of this nation’s ‘Real Elites.’ "
"You consistently make fun of half the country and then complain that it is divided," she said.
At the start of Tuesday's episode of "CNN Tonight With Don Lemon," the TV anchor clarified that he wasn't mocking Trump's conservative supporters, merely laughing at a joke.
"During an interview on Saturday night, one of my guests said something that made me laugh" he said. "And while in the moment I found that joke humorous, I didn’t catch everything that was said. Just to make this perfectly clear, I was laughing at the joke and not at any group of people."
Lemon added that he doesn't "believe in belittling people, belittling anyone … for who they are, what they believe or where they’re from" despite political differences.
"It's personally important for me to address this," Lemon said.
Lemon wasn't the only one who caught flak for the clip.
Ali, who was featured in the video, tweeted Tuesday that his friends were "concerned about my safety" after the president shared the clip.
"I refuse to be intimidated and bullied by bad faith actors who cry fake victimhood, whining about a harmless, silly 30 second clip while endorsing Trump, a cruel vulgarian who debases everyone," he wrote.
Wilson didn't mince words either: He slammed the "fake outrage" surrounding the clip, claiming "the MAGA world wants the freedom to attack, insult, demean, and abuse anyone who doesn't aggressively worship Donald Trump."
"They can't stand anyone who punches back, and hope they can intimidate or shame me," he said.
This isn't the first time the president has referred to Lemon as "the dumbest man on television" or referred to his show's ratings to insult him.
In July, Trump criticized the TV host in a series of tweets after Lemon asked a question during a Democratic debate that described Trump as bigoted.
ReplyDelete"What do you say to those Trump voters who prioritize the economy over the president's bigotry?" Lemon asked Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
"CNN’s Don Lemon, the dumbest man on television, insinuated last night while asking a debate 'question' that I was a racist, when in fact I am 'the least racist person in the world.' Perhaps someone should explain to Don that he is supposed to be neutral, unbiased & fair,....." he tweeted.
In a follow-up tweet, Trump continued, "....or is he too dumb (stupid} to understand that. No wonder CNN’s ratings (MSNBC’s also) have gone down the tubes – and will stay there until they bring credibility back to the newsroom. Don’t hold your breath!"
In May, Trump mocked CNN's Chris Cuomo for "record low" ratings and labeled Lemon "the dumbest man on television."
"Wow! CNN Ratings are WAY DOWN, record lows. People are getting tired of so many Fake Stories and Anti-Trump lies. Chris Cuomo was rewarded for lowest morning ratings with a prime time spot - which is failing badly and not helping the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon!" Trump tweeted.
And in August 2018, Trump called NBA star LeBron James and Lemon dumb after James criticized the president in an interview with Lemon on CNN.
“Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon,” Trump tweeted. “He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!”
CNN's Don Lemon blasted for his 'non-apology' after panel trashing Trump supporters sparked outcry
ReplyDeleteCNN anchor Don Lemon's remarks addressing the panel that mocked Trump supporters was widely panned on social media.
On Tuesday night, Lemon briefly commented on the viral panel discussion that sparked an uproar after Trump supporters were described as illiterate "credulous boomer rubes," but stressed that he was only laughing at the joke and not at "any group of people."
"This is personally important for me to address this, OK? Ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you -- I don't believe in belittling people, belittling anyone for who they are, what they believe, or where they're from," Lemon said towards the top of his show. "During an interview on Saturday night, one of my guests said something that made me laugh. And while in the moment, I found that joke humorous. And I didn't catch everything that was said. Just to make this perfectly clear, I was laughing at the joke and not at any group of people."
It is unclear what specific joke Lemon was referring to.
Several critics questioned the logic of Lemon's remarks, specifically when he claimed he was only laughing at the "joke."
"Wow. Just watched @donlemon, expecting an apology for the outrageous mockery he & his guests directed toward millions of voters. Instead, he simply said he was laughing at the joke & not at any people? Well, Don, on behalf of the Deplorables, your non-apology is not accepted!" ex-CNN commentator Steve Cortes blasted his former colleague.
"You guys... Don Lemon clarified that he wasn't laughing at people... he was laughing at the joke... THAT WAS ABOUT THE PEOPLE," political satirist Tim Young reacted.
"Galaxy brain: I was laughing at the joke, but not at the targets of the joke," The Daily Caller reporter Chuck Ross tweeted.
Politico reporter Alex Thompson accused Lemon of "blaming" his guests.
Others piled on the CNN anchor for claiming he didn't hear everything that was said during the discussion.
"Don Lemon repeatedly laughed to the point where his head was on the desk while his two hosts ridiculed Trump voters. He knew EXACTLY what was going on and this is complete garbage, even for CNN," political strategist Caleb Hull exclaimed.
"Telling a preposterous lie to try to cover over obvious bigotry is quite the look. We all saw the clip Don," conservative operative Chris Barron wrote.
The clip was shared by former CNN digital producer Steve Krakauer on Monday after the panel discussion originally aired on Saturday night following impeachment trial coverage.
However, the video that was shared on Twitter has more viewers than CNN had Saturday night.
During the 10 p.m. hour on Saturday, which was when Lemon had his laughing fit, CNN averaged only 713,000 viewers. As of Wednesday, the clip had roughly 13 million views on Twitter and climbing.
Ben Shapiro to Don Lemon: Stop 'clinging to the notion' that you're an 'objective journalist'
ReplyDeleteConservative commentator Ben Shapiro slammed CNN anchor Don Lemon's apology after Lemon faced heavy backlash for mocking President Trump and his supporters during a panel segment this past weekend.
"Don Lemon should just own it," Shapiro said Thursday on "The Ben Shapiro Show." "The fact that Don Lemon clings to this ridiculous notion that he is some sort of objective journalist is absolute silliness."
On Wednesday night, Lemon addressed the viral clip that showed him doubled over in laughter after Republican political consultant Rick Wilson made fun of President Trump and his supporters, calling them "boomer rubes."
"This is personally important for me to address this, OK? Ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you- I don't believe in belittling people, belittling anyone for who they are, what they believe, or where they're from," Lemon said towards the top of his show. "During an interview on Saturday night, one of my guests said something that made me laugh. And while in the moment, I found that joke humorous. And I didn't catch everything that was said."
The anti-Trump anchor added, "Just to make it perfectly clear, I was laughing at the joke and not at any group of people."
Shapiro mocked Lemon's apology and said the incident represents a much larger issue concerning the mainstream media.
"But the joke was about a group of people so you're going to have to explain that one," Shapiro said.
"This is the problem for places like CNN...," he continued. "The utter blind spot that the media have to their own incompetence and what they do every day is truly amazing and truly horrifying and it's one of the reasons that the American people do not believe that the media stand for them. They believe that the media stand for the media ... the clicks ... the money."
"The mainstream media prove every day why we shouldn't trust them when it comes to analysis of ongoing issues."