CNN: too clever by half
CNN: too clever by half
I’ve said it, and I’ll say it again: trust in the American media has collapsed.
This story, which was published in Variety, details a CNN promotional campaign that will run during March Madness, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Earlier this week, I acknowledged Chris Licht for trying to restore CNN’s reputation by ridding the network of people like Kayleigh McEnany and Jeffrey Lord. This latest move seriously calls that into question. It is a pristine example of why the American people have tuned out, and turned CNN off. The reason is simple. It’s not on the level.
The ad asks:
What should you expect of a news network?
Some bury the truth, while we fight to reveal the facts. The only side we are on is yours.
The target of the ad campaign, through a statement, responded predictably:
As the industry is acutely aware, the CNN brand is suffering from their own March Madness — just look at what they’ve done for CNN+, ‘CNN This Morning,’ ‘CNN Primetime’ and Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders.
The CNN ad is too clever by half. The ad is about Fox, but CNN avoids mentioning the name. Why? Fox News is the subject. Why isn’t CNN being transparent about that? Further, the CNN ad unctuously declares:
The only side we are on is yours.
Really? That is quite a declaration. Wouldn’t it be better if the only side they were on was reality? How about the truth? Isn’t that what journalism is supposed to be? The declaration is insincere pablum and a shameless pander.