There’s no honor among low-rated CNN hosts I guess.

Brian Stelter, host of the ironically named “Reliable Sources” on CNN, decided to take the DNC’s side over the issue of Fox News being banned from hosting Democratic primary debates. He did this on the same weekend that Jeff Zucker, President of CNN, also trashed Fox News as “propaganda.”

Per Newsbusters…

In fact, Stelter ended his first segment with The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer by agreeing with that point. “We don’t have state-run TV until now,” she proclaimed. To which Stelter responded: “Yeah, we’ve never seen anything like it.”

Stelter even appeared disgusted by the idea that he, as a journalist, should defend Fox News from the DNC. At one point stating: “There’s also an argument about media solidarity. And hosts on Fox have been making this argument, saying people like me should be defending them and standing up for them to host a DNC debate.“

Never seen anything like it? Has he watched his own network the past three years? Or during the Obama years for that matter? Stelter then gets aggravated at the suggestion that he should be defending a fellow news network and continues by pretending like only Fox News has issues with balancing news and opinion.

After bringing on his panel, he smeared and minimized Fox News’s news division. “It’s relatively small compared to the huge opinion division which has all the highest rated shows, Fox and Friends and Hannity, etcetera etcetera. Both exist, but it’s getting really uncomfortable for both to exist in the same body.” Of course, Stelter and CNN still refuse to discuss how and which of their programs are also opinion based.

Again, has he watched his own network?

The only reason CNN doesn’t have a “large opinion division” is because they laughably label Don Lemon, Anderson Cooper, Alyson Camerota, Chris Cuomo, Erin Burnett, and others as objective news anchors. In reality, these hosts are no less partisan than Sean Hannity and they do not attempt to hide it either. Their panels are always overwhelming liberal, they’ve never met a false Trump conspiracy theory they won’t fluff until it falls apart, and they are overly hostile to any right-leaning opinion.

Here’s the truth about CNN, even if they want to gaslight otherwise. They are incredibly partisan across their entire spectrum. I can’t think of a single CNN host who could even be considered agnostic toward Republican views (maybe one exists I’m missing?). The sheer hypocrisy of them trying to paint Fox News as some kind of unique evil in cable news is pretty stunning. All cable news channels have biases. Fox News is no worse than CNN on any objective level.

Under normal circumstances, someone like Brian Stelter isn’t worth talking about but there’s an extra piece of this story that makes it especially distasteful.

You may recall that back in late 2018, Jim Acosta was banned from the White House briefing room for being an obnoxious pig and refusing to give up the mic to a helpless intern just trying to do her job. While the debate over his actions spiraled into whether he meant to contact her or not, I never found that to be the most relevant issue. His behavior was still worthy of ridicule.

Yet, Fox News supported Mr. Acosta as a matter of principle and solidarity when they could have easily used it to their own advantage. They even filed an amicus brief in Acosta’s favor as part of the lawsuit.

“Fox News supports CNN in its legal effort to regain its White House reporter’s press credential. We intend to file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court,” network President Jay Wallace said in a statement Wednesday. “Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized.”

While I didn’t agree with that decision, I understood Fox New’s desire to support a fellow news agency when push came to shove. Despite that charitable response, Jeff Zucker and Brian Stelter have decided to return the favor by relentlessly trashing them. Worse, they are doing so on the basis of a very shaky hit-piece written by one of the most partisan “journalists” in the business. Such actions by Stelter and others don’t say anything good about them.

I don’t even watch Fox News. In fact, I no longer have cable. I have very little reason to defend them (and I find some of their hosts to be unbearable…looking at you Judge Jeanine). However, the naked hypocrisy being shown by CNN over this episode is just too much to let go. It’s a level of opportunistic sleaze that deserves to be called out. One day, CNN is going to need to call on its competitors for support again. They shouldn’t be surprised when no one answers that call.

Meanwhile, as I’m writing this, Stelter just clutched his pearls in a tweet about the dangers of demonizing the media. Unless it’s Fox News, then it’s cool I guess.

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