A major media institute took CNN anchor Chris Cuomo to task for actively advising his brother on a story his network was covering.
FNC: “The Poynter Institute for Media Studies excoriated CNN anchor Chris Cuomo Thursday for ‘crossing a journalistic line’ by giving advice to his brother, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, concerning the allegations of sexual harassment against him. Poyter’s Tom Jones argued that Cuomo was ‘deservedly under scrutiny’ following the revelations that he participated in strategy sessions with the older Cuomo and his top aides.
“Jones went after Cuomo from a journalistic point of view, stating it’s one thing to recuse oneself from covering a topic, which Cuomo did in March when he said he would not be covering the allegations against his brother, and another to go behind the scenes to ‘help shape what happens.’ Cuomo apologized on-air during the opening segment of his Thursday night show, explaining he’s ‘fiercely loyal’ to his family, and that it’s a unique challenge to be a journalist and have a brother as a politician. He then apologized to his colleagues at CNN for putting them in ‘a bad spot.’ Jones argued Cuomo shouldn’t be fired for his actions, but that the failure of CNN to see this coming suggests a major personality on their network may no longer be trusted by its viewers.”
“Stop and think about what happened here,” Jones wrote. “The host of a primetime show on one of the country’s biggest and most influential cable news networks is advising one of the most powerful and influential politicians in this country on how to handle serious sexual misconduct allegations. This is highly inappropriate for a journalist,” he added.
Jones went on to slam CNN’s policy not to punish Cuomo by wondering how the network’s staff, “especially women,” feet about a co-worker helping someone overcome allegations of sexual harassment. He also asked how Cuomo’s accusers felt: “How do the women who made these allegations feel about a high-profile cable news network personality trying to help the man accused of such awful things?”
Chris Cuomo defends giving his brother Gov. Andrew Cuomo advice to survive sexual misconduct scandals: "Family first, job second."
He claims he's "never tried to influence" CNN's coverage of his brother. Claims he's "walled off from it." But what about their pandemic interviews? pic.twitter.com/u68ZTx7eME— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 21, 2021
As Cuomo did take responsibility for his actions and apologize, that should be taken into consideration in any criticism of him. It would be nice and appropriate if he was always so responsible in his news commentary and in regards to his integrity.
This piece was written by David Kamioner on May 22, 2021. It originally appeared in DrewBerquist.com and is used by permission.
Read more at DrewBerquist.com:
Pres. Biden Blames Unvaccinated For COVID-19 Surges, Says They Will Pay The Price
Israeli PM Netanyahu Tells Biden To Pound Sand On Gaza Operation
Pres. Biden Walks Back Support For Israel After Democrats Get Upset
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.