Criticisms of widespread left-wing and partisan Democrat biases across the news media landscape amount to “anti-journalism” activism, according to CNN’s Brian Stelter.
“People on the Left, Right and in-between who are [“pro-journalism”] recognize that most journalists try to be fair and right,” asserts Stelter in a Tuesday newsletter; attempting to create a new political dichotomy.
Criticisms of CNN’s advancement of false narratives (i.e. allegations of “election hacking” by the Russian state and related “collusion” with Donald Trump), alleges Stelter, is not guided by a good faith interest in the betterment of CNN’s conduct.
News media operatives are now victims being targeted by “resentment and hatred,” says Stelter. The most strident critics of left-wing and Democrat-aligned news media outlets are trying to destroy journalism as a profession, he alleges:
But there’s an alternative view, popular on partisan web sites and social media, that is straight-up “anti-journalism.” These activists and commenters don’t promote accountability, they promote resentment and hatred. …
Some of this “anti-journalism” spin isn’t about eradicating bias or improving news coverage, it’s about trying to stamp out reporting altogether. It’s nutty, but it’s insidious, and that’s why I’m bringing it up. Millions of Americans are exposed to these extreme views every single day through social media.
Describing CNN as an arm of the Democrat Party and broader Left — while presenting itself as a politically objective and non-partisan news media outlet — is an “anti-journalism” endeavor, according to Stelter.
CNN’s president Jeff Zucker spoke of CNN’s “reputation” following recent company-related developments regarding its conduct:
People are trying to attack us, trying to take us down. … Our reputation is everything; that is our currency, and that’s why we have processes in place. … If you don’t follow those procedures, you don’t work here, period.
Across last year’s presidential election season, Stelter has fashioned himself as a vanguard for left-wing and Democrat-aligned news media outlets. He insists that operations such as CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post operate in good faith with a commitment to honest and accurate journalism and political analysis.
Stelter’s weekly monologues on Reliable Sources amount to sermons extolling the virtues of CNN and similar left-wing and Democrat-aligned news media outlets.
Despite his role as CNN’s premier analyst of the news media industry, Stelter regularly denies the pervasiveness of left-wing and partisan Democrat biases across the news media landscape. He regularly asserts that political objectivity is an attainable standard.
Stelter has never spoken of the virtues of news media transparency, in which journalists, reporters, and analysts are open with their audiences about their viewpoints.
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