Sensationalism may sell on TV, but it can also backfire, especially when you're a competitive
24/7 news network. It's one thing when you're reporting on politicians and public figures.
It's very different when you're the story. These are CNN's biggest scandals ever.
In 2016, when Wikileaks published a huge cache of Hillary Clinton campaign emails,
Politico reported that then-interim Democratic National Committee Chair
and CNN analyst Donna Brazile reportedly warned the Clinton campaign about at least one question
to be asked at a CNN Town Hall. With a subject line that read, "From time to time I get the
questions in advance," Brazile reportedly let the campaign know about a question about the
death penalty. The question was later asked word-for-word at the town hall.
A CNN spokesperson said,
"[CNN] did not share any questions with Donna Brazile,
or anyone else for that matter, prior to the town hall."
Brazile also denied receiving the questions in advance, saying,
"As a longtime political activist with deep ties to our party,
I supported all of our candidates for president. I often shared my thoughts
with each and every campaign. [...] As it pertains to the CNN Debates,
I never had access to questions and would never have shared them with the candidates if I did."
Barely two weeks later, CNN cut ties with Brazile,
claiming that the network was "uncomfortable with what we have
learned about her interactions with the Clinton campaign while she was a CNN contributor."
In April 2015, 25-year-old Freddie Gray died while in Baltimore police custody.
CNN host Brooke Baldwin interviewed Congressman Elijah Cummings about
the incident, tying the militarization of police to escalating violence. Baldwin said:
"I was talking to the city councilman last week. He said, 'Brooke,
these people have to live in the community. There's a lack of emotional investment.'"
"I love our nation's veterans, but some are coming back from war,
they don't know the communities, and they're ready to do battle."
Right-wing media outlets quickly pounced on her comments,
leading Baldwin to issue an on-air apology, saying:
"I absolutely misspoke. I inartfully chose my words a hundred percent,
and I just wish, just speaking to all of you this morning ... I wholeheartedly retract what I said."
"I have the utmost respect for our men and women in uniform,
and I wanted you to know that this morning."
In 2014, several members of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's family were involved in a brawl
at a party in Anchorage, Alaska. CNN played Bristol Palin's police interview recordings
from the brawl. Bristol described being violently accosted by a man she did not know.
"A guy comes out of nowhere and pushes me on the ground, takes me by my feet,
in my dress, in my thong dress in front of everybody,
'Come on you (bleep), come on you (bleep) get the (bleep) out of here."
While introducing the clip, CNN host Carol Costello joked,
"This is quite possibly the best minute and half of audio we've ever come across.
Come across in a long time, anyway."
She encouraged viewers to "enjoy" the audio, and after playing the clip, she quipped,
"That long bleep was my favorite part."
Bristol had some harsh words for the network and the media in general on her blog,
stating that they were salivating, quote, "like dogs given a new bone." She further
claimed that if it had been Chelsea Clinton who had tried to defend herself from a man,
"The liberal media would've held her up as some feminist hero."
Costello offered an apology, telling Politico:
"Over the past few days I have been roundly criticized for joking about a brawl involving
the Palin family. In retrospect, I deserve such criticism and would like to apologize."
The hosts of "Crossfire," conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and Democratic
strategist Paul Begala, found themselves — and the show — on the ropes after a Jon
Stewart guest appearance in 2004. The then-host of "The Daily Show" spent a
lot of time bashing the CNN series and went on to tell them exactly why he did, on-air.
Stewart came out swinging almost immediately, saying:
"I made a special effort to come on the show today, because I have privately,
amongst my friends and also in occasional newspapers and television shows,
mentioned this show as being bad. "
I felt that that wasn't fair and I should come here and tell you
that I don't — it's not so much that it's bad, as it's hurting America."
"Crossfire" was cancelled less than three months later. In a 2015 opinion piece on CNN,
Begala cited Stewart's appearance as the sole reason for the show's cancellation. Begala wrote,
"I have not spoken to Jon Stewart since that day.
I ran into him in a hotel lobby once, and he darted away like he'd seen a ghost.
When I had a book I wanted to plug on his show, he wouldn't take my call."
In 2017, religious studies scholar Reza Aslan
scored a CNN show called "Believer" that was meant, according to the Chicago Tribune,
"To show religious traditions, practices,
rites and rituals that may at first seem weird and foreign and exotic and unfamiliar."
The show caused controversy with its first episode, in which Aslan ate
human brains in an investigation of the Aghori sect of Hinduism. This depiction
outraged Hindu groups and caught the ire of former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who tweeted:
"I am very disturbed that CNN is using its power and influence to increase
people's misunderstanding and fear of Hinduism."
Aslan's show was not renewed for a second season, but it wasn't the outrage of religious
groups that caused it. The show was canceled because of a tweet the scholar fired off
about then-U.S. President Donald Trump. Aslan called Trump a, quote, "piece of s--t," "stain
on the presidency," and an "embarrassment to humankind." The network said in a statement:
"CNN has decided to not move forward with production on
the acquired series 'Believer' with Reza Aslan."
Aslan responded that he was disappointed with the network's decision and admitted
that he "lost [his] cool and responded to [Trump] in a derogatory fashion."
During its 2020 election coverage, CNN featured an on-air polling graphic that used the phrase
"something else" to refer to Native American voters. It
was quickly denounced. The Native American Journalists Association said in a statement,
"This type of language continues the efforts to erase Indigenous and other voters who don't
neatly fall into the race categories listed in the graphic. Being Native American is a political
classification — not merely a racial background. To refer to Indigenous voters as 'something
else' fails to recognize the sovereignty and political classification of Native voters."
Television writer Lucas Brown Eyes, a Lakota, explained on Twitter how
crucial the Native American vote was for the highly-contested and close election.
"Right now. That 270 Vote route to win. Hinges on a historically red state, Arizona, flipping.
The margin is 93K. There are 330,000 potential Native voters in AZ. Yet the
media still refuses to even say our names. Say it with me...NATIVES ARE IMPORTANT."
As of the making of this video, CNN has yet to address the controversy or offer an apology.
Hosts Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon often share friendly banter as "Cuomo Prime Time" transitions
into "CNN Tonight with Don Lemon." But in early March 2020, Cuomo caused a stir when he sang the
theme song to the 70's sitcom "Good Times." When Lemon asked how he knew the words, Cuomo replied,
"You know I'm Black on the inside."
Journalist Aisha K. Staggers took Cuomo to task, writing:
"Black isn't something you can just say you feel you are inside without having to deal with the
racism that comes with being physically Black on the outside. This is cultural appropriation."
Cuomo tweeted this response:
"Said with all respect to reality and our need to fight this amplification of color animus.
there is no understanding what it is to live as a black person in america if you are white
but it is so important to listen. The majority must change racism."
While covering the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, CNN's Tom Fuentes claimed that "highly-placed
sources" told him that a "dark skinned male" had been arrested for the horrific crime.
The FBI and the Boston Police Department refuted those claims,
and CNN quickly shuffled its story to there being "conflicting reports" about arrests.
Then-President Barack Obama had harsh words for CNN and other networks who got it wrong,
saying in The New York Times:
"In this age of instant reporting and tweets and blogs, there's a temptation
to latch on to any bit of information, sometimes to jump to conclusions."
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made several appearances on CNN in 2020,
specifically on the nightly show hosted by his brother, Chris Cuomo. The chummy
interviews were subsequently blasted as a potential conflict of interest.
Once Andrew faced numerous allegations, ranging from sexual assault to willingly covering up
COVID-19 deaths, it became an even larger problem. Chris Cuomo said on his show,
"Obviously, I'm aware of what's going on with my brother.
And obviously, I cannot cover it, because he is my brother."
In May 2021, a bombshell report by The Washington Post revealed that Chris helped his brother
strategize his response to the numerous sexual harassment allegations against him.
CNN employees reportedly felt "unease" with Chris
advising Andrew, with one person saying it was "really upsetting." An on-air reporter,
who spoke anonymously, said there was a "general sense of frustration" with Chris:
"I don't think anyone was surprised they spoke about this, given they are family,
but calls with lawyers and staff ... wow."
Chris Cuomo apologized on his show, and CNN released a statement. Saying that.
"It was inappropriate [for Chris] to engage in [those] conversations. [...] He will not
participate in such conversations going forward."
Prior to the 2020 Democratic primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa, CNN published a story from
anonymous sources claiming that Sen. Bernie Sanders once told Sen. Elizabeth Warren
in 2018 that a woman couldn't be president. Warren corroborated the accusation,
and the alleged incident came up in the debate. CNN's Abby Phillip asked,
"Why did you say that?"
Sanders categorically denied the accusation, and Phillip then turned to Warren and asked,
"Senator Warren, what did you think when Senator Sanders told
you a woman could not win the election?"
Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi called the line of questioning
"villainous and shameful," and harshly criticized the network, writing,
"That 'when' was as transparent a media 'f--k you' as we've seen in a presidential debate."
The Intercept wrote.
"The moderator's use of Warren [...] signaled which side CNN was taking in the 'he said,
she said,' but it was confirmed by the framing of
the question — 'Why did you say that?' — rather than asking whether he said it."
During a segment in 2003, CNN Miami bureau chief
John Zarrella ran a segment discussing the possible renewal of the federal law
that banned the manufacture and sale of nineteen military-style assault weapons.
In an effort to show the difference in the firepower between legal and banned weapons,
CNN invited Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne and a deputy to a shooting range for a demonstration.
The banned assault rifle destroyed a cinder block, and the legal gun seemingly did minimal
damage. But the bullets from the legal weapon never hit the target. They were fired into the
ground. A CNN spokesman said in a statement that the camera operator didn't realize this,
admitting the "demonstration was less than clear."
The National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre pounced, telling the Washington Times,
"Either it was a deliberate attempt to fake the story,
or the reporter had a complete ignorance of the story he's covering."
After 13 years with CNN, Brooke Baldwin shocked viewers in February 2021 when she announced
she would be leaving two months later. In an emotional address to the audience, she said,
"You know, there is just more I need to do. More I need to do outside of this place."
Baldwin added that she did not have a new job she was immediately jumping into,
however. In an appearance on the "Ms. Magazine" podcast that April,
Baldwin may have dropped some clues about her departure. She said,
"The most influential anchors on our network, the highest-paid, are men. My bosses, my executives,
are men. ... My executive producer for 10 years is a man. So I've been surrounded by a lot of men."
Baldwin also claimed that her desire to share women-centered stories was an uphill battle.
She mentioned her series, "American Women," which she brought to the network, saying:
"I got told no a lot and I still managed to do it."
CNN host Don Lemon pushed back on those claims on the "Sway" podcast,
saying that while he wasn't totally familiar with the organizational chart's top levels,
"We have plenty of women in positions of power in the network."
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