Opinion: CNN’s town hall with Trump was reckless and irresponsible


In the future after a jury discovered Donald Trump accountable for the sexual abuse and defamation of E. Jean Carroll, CNN determined it was a good suggestion to go forward with a city corridor discussion board when it’s the very last thing the community ought to have finished. I didn’t watch the discussion board as a result of I didn’t need to contribute to its rankings. I did, nonetheless, watch a couple of clips wherein the previous president nonetheless refused to confess that he misplaced the 2020 presidential election.

Readers this week have been outraged by CNN’s determination to host the city corridor discussion board with Donald Trump as if he have been a traditional presidential candidate. Most of our readers felt that the irresponsible determination by the community was meant solely to generate viewership and that at a minimal there ought to have been somebody fact-checking what the previous president needed to say. However possibly even a fact-checker wouldn’t have been in a position to sustain with the clip of his claims.

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To the editor: The lies informed by former President Trump throughout the current CNN city corridor present the necessity to have such statements fact-checked instantly after they’re said. Doing so at the moment, as an alternative of doing it on the finish of the occasion, would be certain that the listening viewers would hear a impartial analysis of every candidate’s statements.

Occasion moderators shouldn’t be doing the fact-checking. As a substitute, a crew of fact-checkers needs to be standing by. After a candidate makes a press release, the interplay between the moderator and the candidate ought to cease and cameras ought to minimize to this crew. They might touch upon the truthfulness of the candidate’s assertion. After the crew’s analysis, the moderator ought to proceed.

Alan Rosenberg, Dana Level

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To the editor: What has occurred to CNN’s morality, integrity and ethics? The present chairman desires to shift the community’s repute away from being anti-Trump. So, does that imply that CNN desires to observe within the footwear of the Fox Information community and never give a hoot about fact-checking and encourage a liar, fascist, Hitler-want-to-be, Victor Orbán sympathizer, racist, sexual abuser, one who doesn’t imagine within the rule of regulation or our Structure, and is downright harmful? It seems so. The as soon as extremely regarded cable information community has simply bought its soul for cash and rankings. I’m really saddened by their demise, and I’m mourning their alternative.

Sheryl Kinne, Lake Balboa

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To the editor: Giving oxygen to a narcissist with a historical past of attempting to forestall the peaceable switch of energy exhibits CNN is not any higher than the Fox propaganda station. They notice Trump attracts an enormous viewers of empty heads and fools with out a life. Are you able to think about spending an hour-plus listening to this narcissistic, mendacity abuser?

The injury finished by MAGA Trump and his followers is big. Within the meantime, CNN tries to painting themselves because the preservers of democracy whereas they promote a mendacity dictator who betrayed his nation.

Richard A. French, Pasadena

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To the editor: I watched with despair in 2016 when the most important cable networks (even MSNBC) minimize away from common programming to cowl Trump rallies and within the course of gave him maybe as a lot as $1 billion in free promoting. Have we realized nothing? CNN supplied a free infomercial to Trump that pretended to be a “city corridor” in entrance of a rowdy crowd of sympathetic partisans. Given the variety of lies and disparaging statements he informed, one wonders if CNN may contemplate their potential legal responsibility for knowingly offering a public platform for this harmful misinformation a la Fox Information? In the event that they have interaction on this type of blasphemy once more I doubt that I’ll ever tune in to that community. Disgrace on you, CNN.

Ken Dusick, Los Angeles