College Freshman TORCHES Stelter/CNN at ‘Disinformation’ Conference

The so-called “Disinformation and the Erosion of Democracy” conference being put on by the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and The Atlantic this week, has really proven to be unamenable to examining the liberal media’s disinformation and erosion of democracy in how they cover stories depending on the political affiliation of who gets hurt. And during a panel discussion on Thursday, a freshman at the school made a fool out of CNN’s Brian Stelter by calling out the network as a “purveyor of disinformation” and he had receipts.

As the final question for the “How Media Platforms Shape Consumer Realities” panel, self-identified “first-year” student Christopher Phillips chided the panel (moderated by the New York Times’ Jim Rutenberg, The Dispatch’s Stephen Hayes, Lauren Williams of Capital B, and Stelter) for attacking Fox News while they themselves had a laundry list of disinformation sins:

You’ve all spoken extensively about Fox News being A purveyor and distributor of disinformation. CNN, however, is right there.They propagated the Russian collusion scam, the Jussie Slolett hoax. Justice Kavanaugh was smacked as a Rapist. Nick Sandmann was also made out to be a White supremacist. And yes, the Hunter Biden laptop matter was dismissed as Russian disinformation.

The laundry was then aired and followed by two tough questions. “With mainstream corporate journalists becoming little more than apologists and cheerleaders for the regime, is it time to finally declare that the canon of journalistic ethics is dead or no longer operative,”He asked his first question.

Phillips also made the shrewd observation in response to his second question that “[a]ll of the mistakes of the mainstream media, and CNN in particular, seem to magically all go in one direction.”That led him to ask: “Are we expected to believe that this is all just some sort of random coincidence or is there something else behind it?”

Stelter was clearly uncomfortable and quipped that it’s “too bad” he couldn’t answer the questions because “it’s time for lunch.” And he didn’t want to get into a discussion about CNN’s lies on camera, telling Phillips, “I’ll come over and talk in more detail after this.”

Of course, in his bloviating that followed, Stelter didn’t actually answer any of Phillips’ questions. At first, he laughed and suggested that the student might be “describing a different channel than the one that I watch.” And he dismissed the facts of CNN’s flamboyant bias as just “a popular right-wing narrative about CNN.”

Things took an obnoxious turn when Stelter started touting how CNN had helped to get wounded Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall out of Ukraine and used that opportunity to address an earlier question:

The news crews from CNN were not able to cover the accident in Ukraine that Benjamin Hall (Fox News correspondent) sustained. The New York TimesThey stopped their activities and attempted to assist. They did everything they could to assist him in his escape. That’s what news outlets do. That’s how they actually do work together – to your question about sharing those kind of connections and trust.

And taking issue with Phillips referring to the Biden administration as “the regime,” Stelter tried to suggest he wasn’t out to help the White House or the left because “The last time I spoke with a Biden aide, we yelled at each other.”

Sometimes friends argue.

Below is the transcript. Click “expand to read:

The Erosion of Democracy and Disinformation
April 7, 2022
Eastern, 1:42 PM

(…)

CHRISTOPHER POPHILLIPS – Hi! My name is Christopher Phillips, I’m a first-year at the college. I have a question for Mr. Stelter.

You’ve all spoken extensively about Fox News being a purveyor of disinformation. CNN ranks right alongside them. They propagated the Russian collusion hoax.

Is it not time for mainstream corporate journalists to be purged and made into cheerleaders by the 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?

BRIAN STELTER: Too bad, it’s time for lunch.

JIM RUTTENBERG: Brian, you have only 30 seconds.

STELTER: There’s a clock that says 30 seconds.

But I think my honest answer to you – and I’ll come over and talk in more detail after this – is that I think you’re describing a different channel than the one that I watch. That is an opinion that I have heard from right-leaning CNN critics.

I think it’s important when we talk about shared reality and democracy – all these networks, all these news outlets have to defend democracy and when they screw up, admit it.

The news crews from CNN were not able to cover the accident in Ukraine that Benjamin Hall (Fox News correspondent) sustained. The New York TimesThey stopped doing what they were doing, and tried to help. They did everything they could to assist him in his escape. That’s what news outlets do. That’s how they actually do work together – to your question about sharing those kind of connections and trust.

We don’t talk about it enough though. We don’t share that reality about how that happens. And with regard to “the regime,” I think you mean the President Biden. We yelled at one another the last time we spoke. So, that’s the reality of the news business that people don’t see, that people don’t hear. They imagine that it’s a situation that simply is not.

However, I believe your question speaks to journalism’s inability to present our works and to reveal how the profession actually operates. There is still a lot to be done, I believe.

RUTENBERG: Okay, well, I’ve got a blinking red light.

STELTER: I know, we can keep going but there’s lunch right out in the hallway!

RUTENBERG: It’s lunchtime.