Media top headlines October 14
In media news today, Katie Couric admits she protected Ruth Bader Ginsburg by editing out remarks on anthem kneelers, a former Obama ethics official slams the Biden White House for avoiding questions on Hunter Biden's artwork, and Facebook says it will treat journalist and activists as public figures
CNN’s in-house media reporter Brian Stelter continues to carefully curate which news his audience is exposed to in order to fit the liberal network's agenda.
Journalist Katie Couric admitted she selectively edited her 2016 interview with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by omitting negative comments the justice made about those who kneel during the national anthem – but anyone who relies on Stelter’s media newsletter for information would have no idea.
Katie Couric’s bombshell admission was ignored by CNN media reporter Brian Stelter's newsletter. (Getty Images)
Couric’s 2016 chat with Ginsburg came in the midst of the furor of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to take a knee during the playing of the national anthem to protest police brutality. Several other professional athletes began to take his lead and kneel instead of standing during the anthem. Ginsburg told Couric she was opposed to the action, saying those who kneel during the anthem were showing "contempt for a government that has made it possible for their parents and grandparents to live a decent life," according to new reporting by the Daily Mail.
Couric said she was "conflicted" about including the justice's comment because she was a "big RBG fan" and admitted to seeking advice from some fellow journalists about what to do. Ultimately, the story she wrote for Yahoo! News did include quotes from Ginsburg saying kneelers were "dumb and disrespectful," but left out the above remarks. Couric wrote she wanted to "protect" Ginsburg, according to the Mail.
CNN’s "Reliable Sources" newsletter, penned by Stelter, made no mention of the bombshell admission on Thursday despite alleging to cover the journalism industry. While ignoring the Couric bombshell, Stelter managed to find room for everything from a new CNN poll that shows most Democrats are in favor of a larger spending bill to "uproar" inside Netflix over the latest Dave Chappelle comedy special.
CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CNN’S BRIAN STELTER DRAWS SMALLEST AUDIENCE OF 2021 IN CATEGORY COVETED BY ADVERTISERS
The Couric story was not mentioned on CNN on air through noon ET on Thursday, either, according to a search of transcripts via Grabien Media. Couric rose to fame as an anchor of NBC’s "Today" while Stelter’s current boss, CNN president Jeff Zucker, was a producer for the Peacock Network morning show.
CNN’s in-house media reporter Biran Stelter regularly ignores significant news about the journalism industry. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CNN)
Stelter spent much of 2021 downplaying the journalistic ethics violations made by CNN colleague Chris Cuomo, who was repeatedly swept up in the scandals plaguing his brother, former New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He typically focuses on news that puts a negative light on Republicans and conservative news organizations.
Over the summer, Stelter’s "Reliable Sources" television program failed to mention CNN's awkward return of the network's disgraced legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, the departure of "The View" co-host Meghan McCain," the uproar over New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay calling the sight of American flags "disturbing," and the collapsed media narrative during the 2020 election that President Trump ordered the clearing of peaceful protesters at Lafayette Square for a photo op in front of a riot-damaged church.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Stelter also glossed over the Washington Post's major correction of its January report that accused Trump of urging Georgia election officials to "find the fraud," the major MSNBC leadership shakeup, Toobin's firing from The New Yorker following his Zoom call masturbation scandal, the ousting of MSNBC contributor Jon Meacham after it was revealed that he was moonlighting as a speechwriter for the Joe Biden campaign, and the scandals that plagued 2020 media darlings The Lincoln Project.
In 2019, Stelter completely avoided the revelation that ABC News had spiked an investigation into convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Fox News’ Cortney O’Brien and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox