In journalism, it is always good to pick a niche that best serves your skill set. Much like the old Maxim about authoring books (“Write what you know”), choosing your beat based on your talents is a wise move. Take me: I have a low tolerance for BS, hence covering the media is a natural progression. And over at CNN, their in-house Irish reporter Donie O’Sullivan also picked wisely.
Donie is officially labeled as their reporter “covering the intersection of politics and technology,” but he also prefers to be tabbed as their network’s extremism correspondent. This is where you see Donie’s wisdom shining through, because he manages to both curry favor with his superiors and reduce his workload at the same time. He does this by conveniently claiming that political extremism only exists on the Right.
If your head made that dog-hearing-a-harmonica twitch, you are not alone. It was last year when O’Sullivan put out a special, dubbed “MisinfoNation: Extreme America,” where he focused solely on controversies emerging on the Right. In promoting his special, he went on to declare that political violence exists primarily with conservatives. Damned convenient work when you arbitrarily eliminate 50 percent (at least) of your content like that! He made his case, listing off select examples and glossing over things like the George Floyd riots and Antifa attacks. That he dared utter this during the then-current spate of firebomb attacks on Tesla dealerships should illustrate his struggle with the term “extreme.”
He displayed his elective focus when in his special, we saw him with Taylor Lorenz, and the two were chortling over the infatuation seen with leftist murderer Luigi Mangione, who assassinated the United Healthcare CEO. Then, just to cement O’Sullivan’s expansive blind spot, the network soon after sent him to Colorado. He was not there to investigate the firebomb attack on Jewish residents in Boulder that had just transpired; instead, he was covering a trial in Denver involving the founder of My Pillow, Mike Lindell.
Donie’s preferred method of collecting material is the tired practice of interviewing scores of people at conservative gatherings and then cherry-picking the most outlandish performances, presenting them as the group's average. If a guy is found dressed in Colonial togs and spouting off how the founders did not want “Adam & Steve,” you are assured he will get camera time with Donie.
Sunday saw O’Sullivan plying his trade, and in the process, he has, once again, exposed his partisan approach to…well, everything. There he was, in the throngs at the UFC fighting event held on the White House grounds, even finding some who might have questioned the appropriateness of staging this event at that location.
And then Donie found the things to be outraged about: One of the fighters made a crude remark about former First Lady, Michele Obama.
Other professional sport organizations might fine an athlete for smearing Michelle Obama like Josh Hokit did -- but the UFC has an "anti-woke" reputation to protect that allows its stars praise Hitler and spout homophobic hate. pic.twitter.com/9BUgwDELgG
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) June 16, 2026
Other professional sport organizations might fine an athlete for smearing Michelle Obama like Josh Hokit did -- but the UFC has an "anti-woke" reputation to protect that allows its stars praise Hitler and spout homophobic hate.
Now, near-be-it for me to explain to journalists how to do their jobs, so as O’Sullivan makes this statement about the crass comments made by a fighter, I’d suggest a modicum of research to avoid embarrassment (if he is capable of such) would have been welcomed in this case. The president of the UFC, Dana White, actually did condemn those words heard from a combatant on Sunday.
UFC Boss Dana White Condemns Fighter Josh Hokit for Saying 'Michelle Obama Is a Man': 'I Hate That Kind of Nonsense' https://t.co/n8BisQ81Rg
— Variety (@Variety) June 15, 2026
This is what happens when you go into a story with a preconceived script and just count on things to meet your bias. One other trait common with O’Sullivan is in play here, and that is his inability to look over his Left shoulder. Interestingly enough, the guy who claims that there is no political violence found on that side has nothing at all to say about the news that a plot targeting the UFC event was halted by the FBI.
ALSO SEE: New: FBI Nabs Five in 23-Person Network Plotting UFC Drone Assault
The lack of serious work and the refusal to even show the barest curiosity about how leftists operate are trademark Donie O’Sullivan traits, and those are all on full display with his coverage of the UFC event. CNN should reclassify its senior reporter as its “Banality Correspondent.”
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy RedState's conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member