SPUTNIKNEWS – June 27, 2017: The CNN news channel has never had any “big proof” to back their stories about the Trump campaign’s alleged ties with Russia. Finally, you can hear it from a CNN employee: caught on a hidden camera CNN producer John Bonifield admitted that the news channel had been circulating the “Russia story” not because it’s true but because it sells.
The CNN news channel loves the “Russia story” not because it’s true but because it makes their ratings skyrocket, US conservative political activist James O’Keefe of Project Veritas discloses in his new series called “American Pravda.”
In footage taken on a hidden camera by a Project Veritas journalist, CNN producer John Bonifield admitted that the news channel had been circulating the story of the Trump campaign’s alleged ties with Russia having no proof to back the narrative.
The crux of the matter is that the Trump-Russia story sells, Bonifield noted.
According to Project Veritas’ estimates, since Donald Trump’s inauguration CNN has mentioned Russia on air 15,694 times. At the same time, in May, CNN’s ratings were significantly higher when they were the year before.
“Our ratings are incredible right now,” the CNN producer boasted.
“It’s a business, people are like the media has an ethical phssssss…. All the nice cutesy little ethics that used to get talked about in journalism school you’re just like, that’s adorable. That’s adorable. This is a business,” Bonifield said, stressing, “[Donald] Trump is good for business right now.”
Apparently therefore, CNN CEO Jeff Zucker had repeatedly urged his employees to return to the Russia story again and again.
“The CEO of CNN said in our internal meeting… good job everybody covering the climate accords…. But we’re done with it, let’s get back to Russia,” Bonifield remarked citing Zucker.
But what do CNN employees themselves think about it?
“It’s mostly bullsh*t right now,” Bonifield said commenting on CNN’s Russia narrative. “Like we don’t have any big giant proof.” Link: Read Complete Article
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Fake News Meltdown at CNN: Retractions, Resignations and Outbursts
POLIZETTE – June 26, 2017: Three network journalists pack their bags after bogus Russia story, and CNN’s Acosta turns heckler at press briefing.
A bad few days at CNN have gotten worse. Three of the cable news outlets’ journalists have resigned after a bogus Thursday article suggested Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci was tied to a Russian investment fund.
CNN reporter Jim Acosta badgered and interrupted Sean Spicer, White House press secretary, several times on Monday about the lack of on-camera access at the daily briefings. Briefings became regularly televised in the mid-1990s. Spicer did not take a question from Acosta.
After asking White House staffers about the insult of sitting in the back, Acosta was moved to the front row.
“Silly games,” Acosta muttered before his live shot. Link: Read Complete Article
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CNN Deletes, Retracts Story Linking Trump And Russia
PHILLY – June 24, 2017: On Thursday (June 22) evening, CNN investigative reporter Thomas Frank published a potentially explosive report involving an investigation of a Russian investment fund with potential ties to several associates of President Donald Trump.
But by Friday (June 23) night, the story was removed from CNN’s website and all links were scrubbed from the network’s social media accounts.
“That story did not meet CNN’s editorial standards and has been retracted,” CNN said in an editors note posted in place of the story. “Links to the story have been disabled.” Link: Read Complete Article
References – links:
[ 3 CNN Staffers Resign Over Botched Russia Story | CNN Imposing Strict New Rules On Russia Coverage | CNN Cracks Down on Russia Coverage After Embarrassing Story Retraction | CNN deletes article about meeting between Scaramucci and Russian Direct Investment Fund ]
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Three CNN Employees Resign Over Fake Story About Russian Ties
THERAP – June 26, 2017: Thomas Frank, who wrote the story in question; Eric Lichtblau, an editor in the unit; and Lex Haris, who oversaw the unit, have all left CNN.
“In the aftermath of the retraction of a story published on CNN.com, CNN has accepted the resignation of the employees involved in the story’s publication,” a network spokesperson said in a statement Monday.
On Thursday, CNN investigative reporter Thomas Frank published a report involving an investigation of a Russian investment fund with possible ties to several Trump associates.
According to CNN, an internal investigation found that “some standard editorial processes were not followed when the article was published.”
Citing a single unnamed source, the story reported that Congress was investigating a “Russian investment fund with ties to Trump officials.” Link: Read Complete Article
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CNN Cracks Down On Russia Coverage After Embarrassing Story Retraction
SPUTNIKNEWS – June 26, 2017: Following CNN’s speedy retraction of a light-on-the-facts story claiming that an ally of US President Donald Trump had close financial ties to an investment fund managed by a state-run Russian bank, the network moved to tighten up its Russia coverage.
The executive editor of CNNMoney, Rich Barbieri, emailed a statement on Saturday issuing new publishing rules for CNN stories dealing with Russia, after retracting a Russia story one day before, according to The Hill.
According to Buzzfeed, which first reported on the CNN internal email, Barbieri stated that, “No one should publish any content involving Russia without coming to me and Jason [Farkas].”
“This applies to social, video, editorial, and MoneyStream. No exceptions,” Barbieri’s email added, cited by The Hill.
The new CNN policy is in response to a Friday retraction of a published story that purported to connect Anthony Scaramucci, a Trump ally, to a state-run Russian bank.
“On June 22, 2017, CNN.com published a story connecting Anthony Scaramucci with investigations into the Russian Direct Investment Fund,” the media company stated.
“That story did not meet CNN’s editorial standards and has been retracted. Links to the story have been disabled. CNN apologizes to Mr. Scaramucci.”
CNN’s Russian scare story — one of what looks to be a continual stream of lightweight (and profitable) Kremlin fearmongering — inferred that the US Senate was investigating a $10 billion Russian investment fund (RDIF) with regard to Scaramucci, an executive committee member of Trump’s transition team, cited by The Hill.
Moscow was quick to respond to the original piece, pointing out the many factual errors — as well as observing the ongoing output of CNN content attempting to drum up support for an anti-Russia agenda on Capitol Hill and in the US news media.
An RDIF spokesperson pointed out that the CNN story contained numerous errors and added that the RDIF fund fully complies with any and all standing legal requirements, and does not violate the current US sanctions regime. Link: Read Complete Article
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