When we watch a car crash panel discussion on cable news we also find ourselves asking “Is this real life? Is this scripted like WWE?” Apparently, on CNN, it is not. CNN Don Lemon has admitted they put people on the air who he knows are saying things they don’t believe. He is acknowledging that he is asking questions to people he knows are lying to him and, more importantly, his audience while Lemon sits there like a potted plant and allows it. Lemon admitted this on a “The Jamie Weinstein show” podcast earlier this month when asked if Trump supporters on CNN don’t really believe what they say:
“I won’t give names, but absolutely,” Lemon replied.
“I think that they feel that they have to defend him, on a personal level, not anything the network is telling them to do,” Lemon elaborated.
Weinstein then asked why Lemon continued to invite guests on his show who weren’t being truthful.
“Yeah, and they’ll say they are speaking for the Trump supporter who doesn’t have a voice,” Lemon said.
Why this matters: If Lemon allows pro-Trump voices to lie, does he allow anti-Trump voices to lie? How do we know? A better question here is probably “Is this real news or fake news?” It is fake news. This is CNN and Don Lemon’s fault, they continue to put people on they know are lying. Fox News’ Sean Hannity is under-fire for not disclosing his relationship with embattled Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen. Other networks, rightly, are seizing on this to question his credibility. But no one believes that Sean Hannity is saying something he doesn’t believe, maybe they question his motives BUT they cannot question his beliefs. But maybe CNN has some reasoning for this, because for the week of February 26th, World Wrestling Entertainment’s Monday Night Raw received higher ratings than Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC combined. Maybe Don Lemon is on to something.
The details:
— WWE’s Monday Night Raw drew over 3 million viewers between the ages of 18-49 for Monday, February 26th. Its 3 hours were the top 3 rated shows on cable Monday night.
— Don Lemon’s “CNN Tonight” is the 36th ranked cable news program for February.
— The highest rated show on CNN for the month of February was “Anderson Cooper 360”; it was ranked 24th.
— Fox News’ Sean Hannity continues to dominate cable news, but MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has edged him out in March for the top show.
@TheDaleJackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a conservative talk show from 7-11 AM weekdays on WVNN in Huntsville.
