As you may have already heard, the Fox News-obsessed cast and crew of CNN aren’t spending as much time as they used to talking about their rival network these days because leadership changes at the purported “news” outlet have forced notorious Fox News bashers like media hall monitor Brian Stelter and Oliver Darcy to talk about actual news for a change – something that no doubt has been a struggle for the duo.
In addition to that, the struggling CNN+ paid streaming service has subscriptions to sell, and that’s not gonna happen if 95% of the programming features disgruntled former anchors continuously throwing tantrums over Tucker Carlson’s latest rant.
But back to Stelter, he appeared Thursday at a “Disinformation and the Erosion of Democracy” conference, which was held at the University of Chicago and which featured a lot of speakers and guests including current and former politicians as well as many prominent media figures – with precious few of them being actual conservatives.
The three-day event was billed as one that would “explor[e] the organized spread of disinformation and strategies to respond to it,” which Stelter laughably believes he’s an expert on. But the tables were turned on the longtime “Reliable Sources” host when a first-year student at the university – Christopher Phillips – confronted him about what his thoughts were on the large role CNN had played in pushing disinformation like the Russia collusion hoax and the smearing of conservatives like Brett Kavanaugh and Nick Sandmann:
You’ve all spoken extensively about Fox News being a purveyor of disinformation. CNN ranks right alongside them. They propagated the Russia collusion hoax.
Are mainstream corporate journalists now little more than cheerleaders for their regime?
Every mistake made by mainstream media outlets, including CNN, seems to be pointing in the same direction. Is it possible to assume that all this happens by chance or are there other reasons?
Stelter’s lame response was to “joke” about it being time for lunch before NOT addressing the substance of the question beyond labeling it a “popular right-wing narrative” and then mentioning how the networks came together out in the field when Fox News’ Benjamin Hall was injured recently covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also noted he’d speak with Phillips one-on-one “in more detail” about his question.
Watch Phillips, who writes for the university’s self-described conservative, libertarian paper “The Chicago Thinker,” roast Stelter below. Straight-up “inject into my veins” stuff here:
Christopher Phillips calls CNN and Brian Stelter “purveyors of disinformation.” Jussie Stolilett is cited as a Russian collusion hoax. He also cites Nick Sandmann and Justice Kavanaugh’s discrediting of Hunter Biden. pic.twitter.com/eHxqAWqVSC
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) April 7, 2022
Phillips later noted on his Twitter feed that Stelter talked privately with him later but still didn’t address the issue:
We are grateful @brianstelterThank you for answering my questions and having a discussion with me afterward. But i’m STILL curious: If CNN truly is impartial, why is each mistake they make in favor of republicans and democrats? https://t.co/ofx0ghtrfD
— chris phillips 🚨🇺🇸 (@chrispthetruth) April 7, 2022
It does not get much more embarrassing than having a “veteran” of any given profession get so masterfully upstaged by a college freshman during an event that is designed to showcase the supposed “expertise” and “vast knowledge” of the people invited to speak.
One thing I don’t get is why Stelter couldn’t be more direct with Phillips during the actual segment than deciding to pull him off to the side privately to talk to him? Though Stelter clearly didn’t answer the question either time, what’s the purpose of giving audience members the mic to ask questions of panelists if the panelists don’t want to even try to answer it in front of the entire crowd?
My guess is that Stelter thought that in telling Phillips he’d talk to him later that it would make him sound like he wasn’t avoiding the issue when he gave his initial response, but in actuality it made him look small and pathetic. CNN’s ratings are in the dumpster for a reason, and at a time when trust levels in the media are at an all-time low, why not be honest and forthcoming for a change about the problems you see at your own network? Wasn’t that a part of the reason for the conference in the first place?
CNN does not employ Stelter, so it isn’t an excuse to avoid answering. He could have been diplomatic in his answer about Phillips’ concerns while at the same time not throwing his network under the bus. But he didn’t do that, because contra to what Brian Stelter – and most of his colleagues at CNN – wants you to believe, he doesn’t give a royal rip about disinformation in the media as long as its the “right kind” of disinformation – the kind that deliberately pushes phony political narratives that help Democrats push their radical agendas while smearing Republicans.
#FactsFirst and other related topics
Flashback:Our media overlords don’t like it
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