{"id":574175,"date":"2023-05-12T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/frustration-at-cnn-boils-over-with-trump-town-hall\/"},"modified":"2023-05-12T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T10:00:00","slug":"frustration-at-cnn-boils-over-with-trump-town-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/frustration-at-cnn-boils-over-with-trump-town-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"#Frustration at CNN boils over with Trump town hall\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/illo-trump-cnn_vm-gn-ap_cnn.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>CNN won big ratings for its controversial town hall with former President Trump \u2014 but also outraged some of its own talent for essentially handing over its platform to the GOP presidential frontrunner and his supporters for an hour. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More than 3 million people watched Wednesday night\u2019s town hall, early data from Nielsen <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Research showed, representing a more than 300 percent increase from a typical weeknight at 8 p.m. for a network consistently running behind Fox <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> and MSNBC.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Yet CNN also found itself at the center of a political and media controversy after Trump steamrolled moderator Kaitlan Collins\u2019s efforts to fact-check a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of false statements he made in front of a crowd that was vocally supportive of the Republican. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a total debacle and I\u2019ve never been more ashamed to work at CNN,\u201d one prominent on-air talent at the network told The Hill on Thursday. \u201cI don\u2019t think anybody came out looking good. This is entirely a corporate and management failure. They should have anticipated how out of control Trump would be \u2026 to think he was going to act more presidential in that kind of setting is just naivety on a galactic scale.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During the event, Trump repeated his false claims about his loss in the 2020 election, waved away charges of sexual misconduct and repeatedly interrupted Collins, referring to her at one point as \u201ca nasty person.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He said he never knew E. Jean Carroll, the woman who a day prior won a civil lawsuit in New York accusing Trump of sexual abuse and defamation. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During one particularly jarring moment, the crowd in the St. Anselm College auditorium in New Hampshire whooped, cheered and laughed as Trump mocked Carroll over her accusations of rape in a New York department store in 1997. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis woman, I don\u2019t know her. I never met her. I have no idea who she is,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Democratic lawmakers blasted CNN for putting Trump on the air, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) calling the town hall \u201ca disservice to democracy, but also a major harm for women, survivors, &amp; people who rely on repro rights.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCNN allowing sexual assault to be treated like a joke to an <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lauding audience is egregious,\u201d she said. \u201cAt this point it\u2019s not abt Trump- we know him. It\u2019s abt the programming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy in his newsletter noted that\u00a0new network CEO\u00a0Chris Licht\u00a0was \u201cfacing a fury of criticism \u2014 both\u00a0internally\u00a0and\u00a0externally\u00a0over the event.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cAnd CNN aired it all.\u00a0On and on it went. It felt like 2016 all over again. It was Trump\u2019s unhinged social media feed brought to life on stage,\u201d the media critic wrote of his own network. \u201cAnd Collins was put in an uncomfortable position, given the town hall was conducted in front of a Republican audience that applauded Trump, giving a sense of unintended endorsement to his shameful antics.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>CNN defended the town hall after its conclusion, touting the work of Collins. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTonight, Kaitlan Collins exemplified what it means to be a world-class journalist,\u201d the network said in a statement late Wednesday night defending its star anchor. \u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cShe asked tough, fair and revealing questions. And she followed up and fact-checked President Trump in real time to arm voters with crucial information about his positions as he enters the 2024 election as the Republican frontrunner,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cThat is CNN\u2019s role and responsibility: to get answers and hold the powerful to account.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Both Wednesday night and Thursday, however, plenty of the criticism of CNN was that the format in which it held the town hall gave little opportunity for Collins or anyone else to fact-check Trump or hold him to account. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure we made enough news to counterbalance just giving Trump a perch to lie from with a laugh track,\u201d another employee at the network said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Plenty of attention was being paid Thursday to the audience at the town hall, which was highly supportive of Trump. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt felt like we got some of these people from a MAGA rally,\u201d the on-air talent said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>CNN on Thursday\u00a0clarified it had curated the audience through community, student politics and government, faith groups, as well as agriculture and education organizations. The school and campaign also invited guests, the network said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Trump, a day before the event, said CNN had made his campaign \u201can offer [he] couldn\u2019t refuse,\u201d so he agreed to participate in the town hall.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In response, a representative for the network told The Hill, \u201cwe offered him the opportunity to connect with New Hampshire voters via a live televised CNN Town Hall event.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Late on Thursday, anchor Anderson Cooper defended his network\u2019s decision\u00a0to host the event with Trump during an opening monologue on his prime-time show, though he said he \u201cunderstands the anger,\u201d being directed at CNN.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cYou have every right to be outraged today and angry and never watch this network again,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cBut do you think staying in your silo and only listening to people you agree with is going to make that person go away?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The town hall comes at an important time for the network, as Licht marks one year on the job, which he has spent in part attempting to rehabilitate the channel\u2019s reputation with conservatives and other critics amid increasing ratings pressures and budget shortfalls.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ratings across cable news have steadily declined since Trump\u2019s first term in office but have hit CNN most acutely. The company also saw its profits dip to under $1 billion for the first time since 2016 last year while Licht administered widespread layoffs to its editorial personnel during his first six months on the job.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Licht, a former \u201cMorning Joe\u201d showrunner who most recently worked as executive producer of CBS\u2019s \u201cThe Late Show,\u201d was hired last year by David Zaslav, the media mogul who runs the network\u2019s new parent company WarnerBros. Discovery.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Zaslav last week defended the company\u2019s decision to host a town hall with Trump, saying \u201cwe need to hear both voices,\u201d and noting the company\u2019s investors are looking forward to a \u201cgreat political season coming.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what you see. Republicans are on the air at CNN. Democrats are on the air. All voices should be heard on CNN,\u201d Zaslav said during an appearance on CNBC.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>CNN\u2019s chief executive at the same time has similarly pushed back on punditry and speculation that he is dragging CNN to the center or trying to appease Trump supporters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During the network\u2019s morning editorial call Thursday, Licht reportedly acknowledged the criticism the network was facing this week saying covering Trump can be \u201ctricky and messy,\u201d and adding \u201cAmerica was served very well by what we did last night.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But some CNN staffers aren\u2019t buying that line of thinking. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really wonder what his [Licht] private view is of how this all went down,\u201d another employee at the network said. \u201cThere has to be some sense of self-awareness here that this was a pretty big f\u2014 up.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/media\/4000887-frustration-at-cnn-boils-over-with-trump-town-hall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CNN won big ratings for its controversial town hall with former President Trump \u2014 but also outraged some of its own talent for essentially handing over its platform to the GOP presidential frontrunner and his supporters for an hour. \u00a0 More than 3 million people watched Wednesday night\u2019s town hall, early data from Nielsen Media&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":574176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/illo-trump-cnn_vm-gn-ap_cnn.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[70445,134353,73798,4941,138451,10574,90482,142696,40445,134351,115,143018],"class_list":["post-574175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-cnn","tag-court-battles","tag-defense","tag-donald-trump","tag-e-jean-carroll","tag-education","tag-house","tag-kaitlan-collins","tag-media","tag-morning-report","tag-news","tag-trump-town-hall"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=574175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/574176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=574175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=574175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=574175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}