Sunday's Absurdity of the Day: Fredo Firing News Delivered by CNN's Voices of 'Journalistic Ethics'
The honchos at CNN finally got around to firing Fredo Cuomo outright Saturday, no doubt after a desperation search for reasons justifying his retention failed to produce workable results. After all, they had put their infamous Zoom call masturbator Jeffrey Toobin on “indefinite suspension” last year, and then brought him back several months later, once the furor had died down.
After all, what real “journalist” hasn’t pleasured himself while participating in a Zoom call? C’mon, man, here’s the deal. So, Toobin’s back on the air providing his notoriously inexpert legal advice, and many were speculating that Fredo would get the very same treatment. After all, he is no more a real ‘journalist’ than Toobin is, and thus fits right in with the prevailing CNN fake news paradigm. Fredo is fake in every way imaginable, and thus literally the perfect on-air personality at CNN.
Somehow, though, CNN’s bosses were unable to find a way to save their ridiculous prime-time host, and decided for whatever reason to give him the final boot. As it happened, they made certain to release this news during a segment in which Jim Acosta - Cuomo’s obvious prime-time successor - was on-air interviewing the fat little cockroach Brian Stelter, who poses as CNN’s on-air protector of what he likes to refer to as “journalistic ethics.”
How awesome is that?
Anyway, the banter between the two as they announced Fredo’s firing was very predictable and produced some real guffaw-out-loud funny stuff. Here is a clip followed by a transcript:
Acosta: We have breaking news to report to you right now about CNN anchor Chris Cuomo. Earlier this week, Cuomo was suspended from CNN after documents revealed he had been involved more than previously known in shaping his brother’s, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, defense. Cuomo, Chris Cuomo we should point out, has now been terminated here at CNN. That’s the latest breaking news about what’s happening here at CNN. I want to get to CNN’s Brian Stelter. Brian, obviously this is huge news, not only inside CNN but for this industry. What can you tell us?
Stelter: Yes, Chris Cuomo, one of the most popular anchors at CNN, one of the best known names in television news, violated journalistic ethics and norms not once or twice, but many times. And that’s ultimately, what is the result of today’s news, Jim. As you mentioned, Cuomo just terminated by CNN this afternoon. And here’s the statement from management explaining the decision, saying, “Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week, pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother’s defense. We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated effective immediately. While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate.” So this is a big surprise for a lot of people. Jim, I didn’t expect to be on with you this evening, talking about this breaking news. But we did know that Cuomo had been suspended not just, you know, for a week, not in the kind of way that’s a fake suspension to take pressure off CNN, this was a real suspension. He was put on the bench indefinitely while management conducted a review. What we didn’t know until tonight, Jim, is that an outside law firm also came in, and that the law firm went through the thousands of pages of text messages and sworn testimony that was released back on Monday. So there was clearly something in those documents that was found to be a serious breach of standards and practices. Of course, it was known months ago that Chris Cuomo was helping his brother, talking to his brother, while his brother was trying to hold on to the governorship and defending himself amid sexual harassment allegations. What we learned this week in those text messages, and in that sworn testimony, was that he basically was acting like a staffer. He was like an unpaid staffer for the governor. And he was doing that at the same time he was working for CNN. Now, there is one part of the statement, Jim, that we don’t know anything about. Now, just to be completely transparent with the audience. It says there’s additional information that also came to light sometime this week. We don’t know what that is. I’ve asked, there’s no answers coming on what that could be. What we do know is that Cuomo was terminated earlier today. We know in the past — I have reached out to Chris, asked him for comments, and have not heard back yet. We know in the past, he has said he always put family first. And he said he was sorry to put his CNN colleagues in a difficult situation. Now that difficult situation will not exist, because Chris Cuomo has been terminated.
Acosta: And Brian, do we know when this new information might be brought out to the public, and we’ll have a sense as to what this additional information was?
Stelter: I don’t know, actually, if it ever will, I think that’s very much unclear. You know, certainly in the years I’ve spent covering media, we know that companies try to keep these things as private as possible. But this is playing out in a very public stage because of Chris Cuomo’s prominence, and because of his relationship with his brother. I think this may be a situation Jim, just drawing on my years as a media reporter, I think this may be a situation where it was death by a 1,000 cuts, where there were just so many headaches, time and time again, involving Chris Cuomo, that even though many viewers loved watching “Cuomo Prime Time” and looked forward to his show, that he was causing so many headaches for the network and for CNN staffers, that ultimately this decision was reached. That’s just drawing on my background, you know, covering other stories like this. I do think, you know, this is a moment where journalistic ethics are at play. And I know there were many CNN staffers very unhappy with the situation, very frustrated by Chris Cuomo. At the same time, Jim, I was hearing from some fans of Chris, some viewers who said, we understood he was looking out for his family. This was always a very complicated situation. But I think the text messages and the documents this week, showing that he was very deeply involved, very cozy with the governor’s office, very improperly working with the aides, that was ultimately why this decision was announced tonight.
[End]
I’ve bolded several parts of that transcript to emphasize the passages to your attention. Note that Stelter had obviously been prepped for this in advance - his statements make that very clear.
Note also that Stelter claims CNN’s decision was ultimately based on a finding by an outside law firm that Fredo “violated journalistic ethics and norms.” Which he obviously did - that is not in debate at this point.
But what about Toobin? Didn’t CNN also consult with an outside law firm in his case? Of course they did. Are we to believe, then, that this law firm reviewed Toobin’s case and determined that his decision to pleasure himself in clear view of others on that Zoom call is somehow not a “violation of journalistic ethics and norms”???
That is the clear, inescapable conclusion to draw, isn’t it?
While Acosta’s and Stelter’s posturing in this segment is obviously designed to promote the impression that CNN gives a rat’s ass about “journalistic ethics and norms,” the refusal by the fake news platform to invoke the same outcome with Toobin serves as absolute proof that this is not the case.
For whatever reason behind the scenes, CNN decided it could not fire Toobin. Given that Toobin is about as popular as a hang nail with viewers, we can all speculate what that reason might be, but he obviously has leverage of some sort against either CNN or someone high up in its management.
It is equally obvious that Fredo possesses no such leverage. Thus, he was fired, relegated to the ash bin of fake news history. And now someone else - probably Acosta - will be promoted to take over that time slot and see if he or she can attract more than a few hundred thousand viewers.
Because this…is CNN.
That is all.
CNN has no appeal to thinking adults. The only facts and/or truths that are "mentioned" on their leftist broadcasts, are done by mistake. CNN's propaganda isn't even believed by adolescents, only democrats.