| Friend,
CNN Worldwide CEO Jeff Zucker once said that the 2016 election cycle was the “greatest year ever” for cable news. Now CNN’s hate-for-profit machine is getting sloppy: Last week the network invited “eight Republican women” on air to voice support for Trump’s latest racist Twitter rant, but didn’t mention that the women are actually part of the Trumpettes political group.1
If that’s not enough, CNN also invited an on-air “expert” to discuss those same tweets: neo-Nazi white nationalist Richard Spencer, who spoke at Charlottesville’s deadly Unite the Right rally.2 (You might also remember him as the Nazi who got punched in the head in a viral video last year.)
This is dangerous. Giving a platform to white nationalists like Richard Spencer not only normalizes their genocidal views, it helps them recruit new followers.
Enough is enough: Tell CNN to clean up its act and deliver us accurate news coverage, not hate and misinformation disguised as “news” designed to drive up ratings.
CNN is on a slippery slope. If this keeps up, it could become another Trump TV, joining the ranks of Fox News and Sinclair. And that would be Trump’s dream come true.
“45” knows that his dictatorship dreams depend on a steady stream of propaganda going into our homes and communities, normalizing hate and demonizing immigrants, people of color and others who are most in danger.
According to the FBI, hate-crime reports have risen each year since 2016 — and white-supremacist violence is responsible for the spike in domestic-terror arrests.3 And it will only get worse if networks like CNN don’t stop amplifying Trumpian white nationalism in an attempt to ramp up ratings.
Take action: Demand that CNN clean up its news coverage and stop peddling white-nationalist propaganda for profit.
This isn’t about free speech, which is protected from government interference. This is about a private news organization’s ethical responsibility to deliver honest and accurate information.
In our Right to Connect 2020 platform, Free Press Action reminds candidates that, “Today’s media institutions and platforms continue to profit from airing bigoted views and feeding stereotypes. It’s critical that we acknowledge this history and seek accountability and solutions.”4
Let’s start now by telling CNN to cut the crap.
Thanks for all that you do,
Collette, Lucia, Candace and the rest of the Free Press Action team
freepress.net
P.S. CNN is playing a dangerous game by propping up Trump’s racist stunts and inviting white nationalists like Richard Spencer on air. The network’s playing for profit — and putting millions of lives in danger. Tell CNN to clean up its coverage and stop selling hate for ratings.
1. “Just a Random Group of ‘Republicans’? CNN Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story About a Trump-Loving Panel,” The Washington Post, July 17, 2019: https://act.freepress.net/go/31335?t=8&akid=13109%2E10296224%2E15PWmF 2. “CNN Invites White Supremacist Richard Spencer to Talk About Trump’s Racist Tweets,” Daily Beast, July 16, 2019: https://act.freepress.net/go/31336?t=10&akid=13109%2E10296224%2E15PWmF 3. “White Supremacist Violence Responsible for Spike in U.S. Terror Arrests,” The Independent, July 23, 2019: https://act.freepress.net/go/31337?t=12&akid=13109%2E10296224%2E15PWmF 4. “Expose Media Harm,” Free Press Action: https://act.freepress.net/go/31338?t=14&akid=13109%2E10296224%2E15PWmF |
