Campbell Brown: ‘CNN Only One Still Doing Journalism’

On an interview show called “Give and Take,” hosted by sometime TV pundit Julie Menin, CNN’s Campbell Brown patted herself and her network on the back for being “the only one that is still doing journalism” in cable land.

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Menin asked Brown if she felt odd being a “political independent” in this world of cable pundits and lamented that journalism seems to be scant these days. Menin told Brown that at one time, “obviously journalists were independent.” Brown replied by assuming the truth of that “independence” and stated that she and CNN are the only ones “doing journalism” any more. Menin’s odd assumption, though, that journalists are “political independents” is interesting because of the pervasive left-wing bias that is seen throughout the business. Does Menin think “independent” just means free of conservative ideology but otherwise free to be a liberal? It is also amusing that Brown imagines that there is no “journalism” going on at either MSNBC or Fox News. Sure both have plenty of opinion shows, and yes they’ve both aimed at an ideologically self-identified audience, but both still do common journalism, whether Brown approves of the final product or not. Amusingly, Brown talks of an echo chamber without the slightest sense of the one she was sitting in during the interview as Menin’s show doesn’t seem to have a history of inviting many male guests. Brown’s self-congratulatory feeling that she is the only unbiased journalist left in the world is amusing when juxtaposed with her constant attacks on Sarah Palin as well as the mean-spirited, partisan treatment of McCain representative Tucker Bounds during the late presidential campaign, an incident she mentions in the interview. Interesting, the host didn’t ask why Brown’s ratings were so dismal. I guess that wasn’t a “serious” enough question for Ms. “No Bias, No Bull.”

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