Seeing how our very democracy is on the line, I think it is definitely time to sound the alarm. And as for Brian Stelter? Sunday morning was the perfect time for me to watch his show. If timing was the issue, why didn't CNN move his show to a different time slot?? I'm not buying any of it.
Laura, of course the time of the show was irrelevant. The new guy, another child-man just wants his conservative beliefs put out there as though they are either mainstream or fair and balanced. They are, of course, none of the above. The CNN guy now has a domain he can rule while pretending to be the good guy "just wanting to get the truth out there," or some other such BS. I am sorry for all of us because we are now a bit poorer for having another child-man running a formerly respected media platform.
Ruth, Chris Licht’s agenda aside, I write simply to voice concern over the terminology “fair and balanced,” a phrase suggesting that objectivity, somehow, can be satisfied by two opposing people offering competing perspectives, leaving the viewer to split the difference, absent the benefit of context, background, or any sense of which claims hold up and which are misleading.
Yes, I ask: where are our clerical spokesmen in the tradition of Niemoeller and Bonhoeffer? In addition, where are the medical spokesmen ala Dr. Koop, a former Surgeon General, to inform the public about the positive effects of abortion on the life of the mother in risky cases? It seems that the well-paid medical establishment neglects to take a stand for the welfare of their patients — waiting instead to serve as interviewees on National Public Radio in cases of tragic lack of D&C care. We seem to be experiencing a lack of spine by professionals who should exhibit leadership.
I think that the docs on the ground are afraid of getting arrested. They don't want to lead, they just want to practice the best they can and be left alone. As an OB GYN who spent the last half of her career doing abortion care, particularly later abortion care, I am furious about this spineless treatment of patients, but I realize that not everyone responds to being bullied the same way. Some people shrink away, and some people say "Oh yeah? Fuck you! Watch THIS".
I am grateful that the American College of OB GYN (ACOG), our biggest professional organization, HAS exhibited leadership. ACOG has been absolutely steadfast in saying that abortion is a public health positive, that abortion is safe, that it is no one's business except that of the woman.
All that said, I do wish that the OB GYNS in anti abortion states would just do standard of care medicine (NEVER send an ectopic pregnancy home for god's sake, and empty the uterus of a woman with an 18 week pregnancy and ruptured membranes) and let the chips fall where they may.
Well said. I have said similar things regarding our physician professionals. Are they afraid, are they being paid or afraid they will lose money? Where are their voices?
OMG is that ever the truth. When really, what it takes is to actually see the patient and talk with her/him, and then DOCUMENT in the chart with subjective (what the patient says), objective (what you observe or examine), assessment, and plan. The DEA is a bit off the rails, but some patients really do need narcotics and to simply abandon them because they are too much trouble or you're afraid of the DEA is really cruel.
White Christian Conservatives were probably complaining to Chris Light on Sunday afternoon because they are afraid of what the Brian Stelter’s Sunday show might say while they are away from Twitter during Church and Sunday school lessons.
You are so right Luckytwin. CNN's cancelling of Stelter had nothing to do with the time or anything specific that Stelter did. It is about scared conservatives who want to rule with no accountability. They want to define the terms, dictate what children are taught, and control the media so only what they want gets out. Sounds a lot like 1930s Germany to me!
Why would they expect people to suffer fools gladly? If there is not any consciousness at all, who would put up with it? It will not pass the smell test and flop like a dying fish. I think people are too hip for that ; equivocation of truth and lies?!? How will they dress up anti choice? Avoid the subject? If you are anti Democracy , I am not interested.
DITTO. I have been reading through the responses and I did not see any calls to organize a boycott of CNN so that they can realize the mistake they are making. The evidence of everyone voluntarily boycotting without letting CNN know will just lead to the final decision that they will come to, that there is no place for Republican Light Media and then pull the plug for lack of interest.
Glenn, I agree! I quit CNN when Anderson Cooper would have Sarah Huckabee or Kayleigh Sanders on, and they said the craziest things with no accountability and hardly any pushback. It was nauseating and it was very dangerous to host liars.
If CNN wishes to become more like Fox News, their already damaged credibility will serve the further downfall of their political commentary until it resembles hogwash, an Arkansas term of swine, swine, swine.
The best way to boycott CNN if you’re prone to watch it, is to stop watching it. Sponsors will probably notice a drop off sooner than CNN will admit to it.
The only problem here in Europe is that CNN is advertising itself 95% of the time, it's rather disgusting to listen to the same tinkle tinkle of music that accompanies their own 'ad'. Once in awhile there's an ad for a watch or something ridiculously expensive. So there is no real way they will 'see' that they are being boycotted over here, darn!
Licht says one thing I can agree with. ol' Tweety garnered billions in free campaign advertising because the press was on it every time he scratched his ear. That's why - to me - his claim that " . . . he said he wants it to 'mean something when CNN sounds the alarm.' So the network has to be selective. It can’t have a big reaction to everything" rings true. Having said that, the question raised becomes: what will they now see fit for a reaction? That remains to be seen, although the demise of "Reliable Sources," along with sacking Stelter, is a dark portent.
Luckytwin, I agree that his claim about the timing being off was a lie. Myself and most people I know stream most of the TV shows they watch. And anyone can watch any time that's convenient for them.
Yes, I agree with what you are saying. We are in a crisis that few Americans know about if they are listening to the mainstream news media which CNN is a part of. It is democracy v fascism, full stop. If this isn't a call for a major alarm then I don't know what is. Chris Licht says he wants CNN to be an "unbiased" source of news yet everyday the Biden skewering continues. Who needs Laura Ingraham when CNN has Ana Cabrera hammering Biden and many on the left with no sense of urgency at all. As for CNN not wanting to use the phrase the "Big Lie" because it has Nazi ramifications well the Trump Big Lie certainly does have an authoritarian lean to it, dontcha think? I am very afraid for our democracy. It is in great peril and the sooner this is shouted to the rooftops for everyone to hear, the better.
By suggesting, in the current political climate, that he cannot raise the alarm with every undemocratic thing Trump says or does, he is saying that CNN will normalize Trump’s illegal behavior and only report the worst of the worst. The line just keeps moving. As long as Trump is consistently anti-democratic, and as long as the other GOP nutcases are consistent, there is nothing new to report. It’s all fine and normal. That is extremely dangerous. And wrong. And it does smack of Nazi Germany.
They don’t have to report on every sneeze, true. But why do they have been report on his every response to a legitimate investigation when his responses are nonsense?
Because we NEED TO KNOW everything this conniving madman does. A significant number of American voters would like to elect—or install—him as President again (for life, this time). That's why.
We dare not let him out of sight. You'd like to cover up fresh reports of his plotting and activities, Fay? Then mute or don't read the news. I appreciate having the opportunity to know what he's up to—anytime.
Agree Tom. Bottom line, at the minimum is that they will sell out for eyeball ratings metrics and the executive suite accountants have gotten a bit too greedy. The _rump variety show is lucrative for ratings; recall that the Jerry Springer show once had great viewership, and that there is still quite a market for those tabloid rags with weird story headlines. I've never had an interest in the tabloids and now I'll have similar interest in CNN. When enough decide likewise, the gamblers in the executive suite may change course, but I won't be watching.
If anyone in the media truly wanted to shut trump up, they'd quite pandering to him, reporting every thing the creep says, no matter how inane. I quit watching all news because I was sick about hearing trump. At least with a newspaper I can skip past any mention of the sob.
Right, Tom R. When lies are greeted with silence and not countered with truth, then the lies gain power. CNN's CEO should realize that instead of giving the lie-sayers equal time. The Big Lie is a Big Lie. CNN should be shouting that from the rooftops instead of mollifying those who accept it.
What kind of journalism tries to be bland and vague in order to get an audience?
That Licht called Professor Reich is an indication that Reich is influential. Why is he influential? Because he tells it like it is without being rude.
Licht is full of shit and a liar. Your piece was right on. Don’t believe a word. Listen to GOP Tapper. The channel has moved to the right. I will never watch or subscribe to CNN. They are in the heap with Fox.
Honestly, I think you touched a nerve. I prefer to listen to PBS. Point is Trump needs to be tamped down. He's doing the same thing "making it all about him and he is a victim". We literally have been traumatized by him and are still digging out from his BS. Garland needs to move in on him and all the people who opposed and supported the insurrection . Get them out like a cancer clearing the perimeters.
UnF***ingbelievable!! What kind of koolaid has he been drinking? The term "Big Lie" certainly has Nazi roots FOR A VERY GOOD REASON: it's what they used, and we all need to be very aware of that history. We also need to continue to use that term because it is TRUE and no amount of mealy-mouthed BS from Licht will make it untrue. Take THAT, Licht, and put it where the sun don't shine, which is where it belongs.
Yes, everything Mr. CNN said was an actual lie or an almost lie and the BS about "The Big Lie" shone out clearly in its gooey mess. Did he actually think Dr. Reich believed his nonsense? If he thought so, he is more of a fool than Baby Donnie who is clearly his hero.
Thank you, Robert Reich. The fact that Chris Licht offered a response, regardless of how genuine it was, shows that he was influenced by your piece. There is value in speaking out. Keep up the good work!
I have recently retired, after working in corporate software sales and marketing, running my own small businesses and winding down in an IT role in education. I've heard a lot of board room speak, and dealt with people's credibility on both sides of the sales game.
I can also say, that one of the nice things that does come with getting older and more experienced, is that the naïveté gives way to a more discerning ear. That sounds like a whole lotta moose milk to me.
Watch what he does, not what he says. CNN's credibility is already taking hits.
Oh Michael, "bless your heart." sums it up perfectly. Thanks for reminding us of that charming Southern approach to comments like those made to Dr. Reich.
YES!! If you haven't seen BJ Novak's new film, "Vengeance" ... the 'translation' for that sweet, southern expression is given... (definitely a film worth seeing!)
Yes, Chris Licht needs lots of luck. It sounds to me like he wants to dismantle any semblance of real journalism, integrity, and truth away from CNN. We have plenty of “news” that refuses to call Trump and his nefarious acts what they are or to call him a liar. I know my husband and are done with CNN.
Seeing how our very democracy is on the line, I think it is definitely time to sound the alarm. And as for Brian Stelter? Sunday morning was the perfect time for me to watch his show. If timing was the issue, why didn't CNN move his show to a different time slot?? I'm not buying any of it.
Totally agree. Why not just move the shows time. BTW what exactly was wrong with having it on Sunday?
Laura, of course the time of the show was irrelevant. The new guy, another child-man just wants his conservative beliefs put out there as though they are either mainstream or fair and balanced. They are, of course, none of the above. The CNN guy now has a domain he can rule while pretending to be the good guy "just wanting to get the truth out there," or some other such BS. I am sorry for all of us because we are now a bit poorer for having another child-man running a formerly respected media platform.
Great observation Ruth
Ruth, Chris Licht’s agenda aside, I write simply to voice concern over the terminology “fair and balanced,” a phrase suggesting that objectivity, somehow, can be satisfied by two opposing people offering competing perspectives, leaving the viewer to split the difference, absent the benefit of context, background, or any sense of which claims hold up and which are misleading.
White Christian church time?
Yes, I ask: where are our clerical spokesmen in the tradition of Niemoeller and Bonhoeffer? In addition, where are the medical spokesmen ala Dr. Koop, a former Surgeon General, to inform the public about the positive effects of abortion on the life of the mother in risky cases? It seems that the well-paid medical establishment neglects to take a stand for the welfare of their patients — waiting instead to serve as interviewees on National Public Radio in cases of tragic lack of D&C care. We seem to be experiencing a lack of spine by professionals who should exhibit leadership.
I think that the docs on the ground are afraid of getting arrested. They don't want to lead, they just want to practice the best they can and be left alone. As an OB GYN who spent the last half of her career doing abortion care, particularly later abortion care, I am furious about this spineless treatment of patients, but I realize that not everyone responds to being bullied the same way. Some people shrink away, and some people say "Oh yeah? Fuck you! Watch THIS".
I am grateful that the American College of OB GYN (ACOG), our biggest professional organization, HAS exhibited leadership. ACOG has been absolutely steadfast in saying that abortion is a public health positive, that abortion is safe, that it is no one's business except that of the woman.
All that said, I do wish that the OB GYNS in anti abortion states would just do standard of care medicine (NEVER send an ectopic pregnancy home for god's sake, and empty the uterus of a woman with an 18 week pregnancy and ruptured membranes) and let the chips fall where they may.
They should have a segment on a CNN show or even a (shall we say?) a Sunday morning since the slot opened up.
http://digitaledition.baltimoresun.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=d0d1516f-28e4-4af2-8b58-911f1b1db654
Good one. Pathetically true too.
Thank you, DZK. A picture (or cartoon) is worth a thousand words. “Spineless.”
Well said. I have said similar things regarding our physician professionals. Are they afraid, are they being paid or afraid they will lose money? Where are their voices?
Both!
Same is true for use of opiates for those with severe chronic pain. Many docs just abandon these patients because they are afraid of the DEA.
OMG is that ever the truth. When really, what it takes is to actually see the patient and talk with her/him, and then DOCUMENT in the chart with subjective (what the patient says), objective (what you observe or examine), assessment, and plan. The DEA is a bit off the rails, but some patients really do need narcotics and to simply abandon them because they are too much trouble or you're afraid of the DEA is really cruel.
I think they are afraid. I wrote more about this in response to Stan above.
I am an ardent fan of Bonhoeffer. Read his biography, may we all use him as our example.
Real Christianity can’t be easy. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be valuable.
Oh! Your take on the timing is perfectly hilarious!
White Christian Conservatives were probably complaining to Chris Light on Sunday afternoon because they are afraid of what the Brian Stelter’s Sunday show might say while they are away from Twitter during Church and Sunday school lessons.
Why, because Sunnday is the Sabbath! ;-)
You are so right Luckytwin. CNN's cancelling of Stelter had nothing to do with the time or anything specific that Stelter did. It is about scared conservatives who want to rule with no accountability. They want to define the terms, dictate what children are taught, and control the media so only what they want gets out. Sounds a lot like 1930s Germany to me!
Why would they expect people to suffer fools gladly? If there is not any consciousness at all, who would put up with it? It will not pass the smell test and flop like a dying fish. I think people are too hip for that ; equivocation of truth and lies?!? How will they dress up anti choice? Avoid the subject? If you are anti Democracy , I am not interested.
👍🏼 i agree Laurie
DITTO. I have been reading through the responses and I did not see any calls to organize a boycott of CNN so that they can realize the mistake they are making. The evidence of everyone voluntarily boycotting without letting CNN know will just lead to the final decision that they will come to, that there is no place for Republican Light Media and then pull the plug for lack of interest.
I haven’t seen any tiny piece of coverage of this anywhere but here, by Dr. Reich . I think if others know, they are cowering in the corner somewhere
We’ve posted a suggestion for a boycott on IG. Bryan’s program was more widely watched than MSNBC!
Glenn, I agree! I quit CNN when Anderson Cooper would have Sarah Huckabee or Kayleigh Sanders on, and they said the craziest things with no accountability and hardly any pushback. It was nauseating and it was very dangerous to host liars.
If CNN wishes to become more like Fox News, their already damaged credibility will serve the further downfall of their political commentary until it resembles hogwash, an Arkansas term of swine, swine, swine.
The best way to boycott CNN if you’re prone to watch it, is to stop watching it. Sponsors will probably notice a drop off sooner than CNN will admit to it.
The only problem here in Europe is that CNN is advertising itself 95% of the time, it's rather disgusting to listen to the same tinkle tinkle of music that accompanies their own 'ad'. Once in awhile there's an ad for a watch or something ridiculously expensive. So there is no real way they will 'see' that they are being boycotted over here, darn!
Excellent idea.
I am boycotting!
Licht says one thing I can agree with. ol' Tweety garnered billions in free campaign advertising because the press was on it every time he scratched his ear. That's why - to me - his claim that " . . . he said he wants it to 'mean something when CNN sounds the alarm.' So the network has to be selective. It can’t have a big reaction to everything" rings true. Having said that, the question raised becomes: what will they now see fit for a reaction? That remains to be seen, although the demise of "Reliable Sources," along with sacking Stelter, is a dark portent.
CNN loved the Gulf War. War makes good viewing and more from advertisers .
Ditto!
Luckytwin, I agree that his claim about the timing being off was a lie. Myself and most people I know stream most of the TV shows they watch. And anyone can watch any time that's convenient for them.
Yes, I agree with what you are saying. We are in a crisis that few Americans know about if they are listening to the mainstream news media which CNN is a part of. It is democracy v fascism, full stop. If this isn't a call for a major alarm then I don't know what is. Chris Licht says he wants CNN to be an "unbiased" source of news yet everyday the Biden skewering continues. Who needs Laura Ingraham when CNN has Ana Cabrera hammering Biden and many on the left with no sense of urgency at all. As for CNN not wanting to use the phrase the "Big Lie" because it has Nazi ramifications well the Trump Big Lie certainly does have an authoritarian lean to it, dontcha think? I am very afraid for our democracy. It is in great peril and the sooner this is shouted to the rooftops for everyone to hear, the better.
Ditto! Red flag was "...wasn't the right day." Then change the day, for crying out loud.
I wondered that also. Even though I don't watch that show.
I'd rather watch him on first run than some of the other shows that rerun.
If It goose-steps like a Nazi and it salutes like a Nazi and it BigLies like a Nazi...
You are wright about the goosestepping, QNetter. Look like Nazis to me!
By suggesting, in the current political climate, that he cannot raise the alarm with every undemocratic thing Trump says or does, he is saying that CNN will normalize Trump’s illegal behavior and only report the worst of the worst. The line just keeps moving. As long as Trump is consistently anti-democratic, and as long as the other GOP nutcases are consistent, there is nothing new to report. It’s all fine and normal. That is extremely dangerous. And wrong. And it does smack of Nazi Germany.
They don’t have to report on every sneeze, true. But why do they have been report on his every response to a legitimate investigation when his responses are nonsense?
Because we NEED TO KNOW everything this conniving madman does. A significant number of American voters would like to elect—or install—him as President again (for life, this time). That's why.
And keeping him constantly in the headlines is going to stop this? How?
We dare not let him out of sight. You'd like to cover up fresh reports of his plotting and activities, Fay? Then mute or don't read the news. I appreciate having the opportunity to know what he's up to—anytime.
Agree Tom. Bottom line, at the minimum is that they will sell out for eyeball ratings metrics and the executive suite accountants have gotten a bit too greedy. The _rump variety show is lucrative for ratings; recall that the Jerry Springer show once had great viewership, and that there is still quite a market for those tabloid rags with weird story headlines. I've never had an interest in the tabloids and now I'll have similar interest in CNN. When enough decide likewise, the gamblers in the executive suite may change course, but I won't be watching.
If anyone in the media truly wanted to shut trump up, they'd quite pandering to him, reporting every thing the creep says, no matter how inane. I quit watching all news because I was sick about hearing trump. At least with a newspaper I can skip past any mention of the sob.
Agree. It’s way too much free publicity AGAIN. There is plenty else of SUBSTANCE.
Right, Tom R. When lies are greeted with silence and not countered with truth, then the lies gain power. CNN's CEO should realize that instead of giving the lie-sayers equal time. The Big Lie is a Big Lie. CNN should be shouting that from the rooftops instead of mollifying those who accept it.
What kind of journalism tries to be bland and vague in order to get an audience?
That Licht called Professor Reich is an indication that Reich is influential. Why is he influential? Because he tells it like it is without being rude.
Right on.
Licht is full of shit and a liar. Your piece was right on. Don’t believe a word. Listen to GOP Tapper. The channel has moved to the right. I will never watch or subscribe to CNN. They are in the heap with Fox.
Harold, isn't it sad that we have lost another one to the dark side?
I think I am going back in time where I only have one channel. But Monty Python is not on any more.
Oops. I cross referenced to Fawlty Towers. When the lunatic Trump goes to jail he could be Minister of Silly Walks, to make him feel important.
youtube?
Good old John Cleese. Hamma sandwich, anyone?
What part of we are perilously close to losing our Democracy doesn't Chris get?
And not calling out the big lie and all the 30,000 little lies is how we got here.
Honestly, I think you touched a nerve. I prefer to listen to PBS. Point is Trump needs to be tamped down. He's doing the same thing "making it all about him and he is a victim". We literally have been traumatized by him and are still digging out from his BS. Garland needs to move in on him and all the people who opposed and supported the insurrection . Get them out like a cancer clearing the perimeters.
We ALL have PTSD, are tired of our leaders and our media. UGH!
UnF***ingbelievable!! What kind of koolaid has he been drinking? The term "Big Lie" certainly has Nazi roots FOR A VERY GOOD REASON: it's what they used, and we all need to be very aware of that history. We also need to continue to use that term because it is TRUE and no amount of mealy-mouthed BS from Licht will make it untrue. Take THAT, Licht, and put it where the sun don't shine, which is where it belongs.
Yes! For a very good reason! It IS like
Nazi Germany. And MsCNN is like Goebels advocating to pretend it not a lie.
It seems to me that most of his answers contained obfuscation of his actual intentions. He might make a successful politician ;-)
Yup: he tried REALLLLLLLLY hard to make sense of his decision and failed. Utterly. Completely. Obviously. What a shit!
Yes, everything Mr. CNN said was an actual lie or an almost lie and the BS about "The Big Lie" shone out clearly in its gooey mess. Did he actually think Dr. Reich believed his nonsense? If he thought so, he is more of a fool than Baby Donnie who is clearly his hero.
Exactly
Blah blah blah. Just more excuses for courting the Right. To hell with CNN.
Thank you, Robert Reich. The fact that Chris Licht offered a response, regardless of how genuine it was, shows that he was influenced by your piece. There is value in speaking out. Keep up the good work!
Trump is a “Big Lie”. Licht is - double talk. Follow the money is right!
I have recently retired, after working in corporate software sales and marketing, running my own small businesses and winding down in an IT role in education. I've heard a lot of board room speak, and dealt with people's credibility on both sides of the sales game.
I can also say, that one of the nice things that does come with getting older and more experienced, is that the naïveté gives way to a more discerning ear. That sounds like a whole lotta moose milk to me.
Watch what he does, not what he says. CNN's credibility is already taking hits.
Moose milk! Yes!
The venerable Southern idiom is "Bless your heart."
Even better (or worse) is “bless your little heart.”
Oh Michael, "bless your heart." sums it up perfectly. Thanks for reminding us of that charming Southern approach to comments like those made to Dr. Reich.
YES!! If you haven't seen BJ Novak's new film, "Vengeance" ... the 'translation' for that sweet, southern expression is given... (definitely a film worth seeing!)
Keep it up, Robert. You are such a source of sanity for us all.
Yes, Chris Licht needs lots of luck. It sounds to me like he wants to dismantle any semblance of real journalism, integrity, and truth away from CNN. We have plenty of “news” that refuses to call Trump and his nefarious acts what they are or to call him a liar. I know my husband and are done with CNN.
I’m betting that the good journalists will refuse to do his bidding.