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CNN’s Michael Fanone is shooting inside the tent, blasting his employer for offering a platform to former President Trump and accusing CNN honchos of sacrificing "journalistic integrity" for ratings.
Fanone, a former D.C. police officer who was injured during the Jan. 6 riot, is now a paid CNN contributor. He penned a scathing opinion piece for Rolling Stone headlined, "CNN Is Hosting a Town Hall for a Guy Who Tried to Get Me Killed," as the network is set to air a primetime town hall with the former president.
"I woke up last week to a text from my mother. Its contents hit me like a sucker punch. ‘CNN is hosting a town hall with Trump; Kaitlin Collins is moderating,’" Fanone wrote to kick off the piece. "WTF!!!"
Fanone noted that he’s aware Trump is newsworthy, particularly because he’s seeking the presidency once again and currently is the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination. But he said Trump didn't deserve a platform because of his dishonesty.
Former Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone is now a CNN contributor. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
"So what, you say? They are just words — and certainly not the first time a politician has lied to constituents," Fanone wrote.
"I’ll tell you why this is different. Those lies persuaded thousands of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, violently attacking uniformed police officers and terrorizing members of Congress and their staff," he continued. "As a result of my efforts that day I was severely beaten, struck numerous times with a taser, and suffered a heart attack as well as a traumatic brain injury."
Fanone said the decision by CNN CEO Chris Licht to give Trump a primetime town hall event will help rehabilitate the former’s president’s reputation. Moderated by morning show host Kaitlan Collins, the town hall will feature questions from New Hampshire Republicans.
"Putting him onstage, having him answer questions like a normal candidate who didn’t get people killed in the process of trying to end the democracy he’s attempting to once again run, normalizes what Trump did. It sends a message that attempting a coup is just part of the process; that accepting election results is a choice; and that there are no consequences, in the media or in politics or anywhere else, for rejecting them," Fanone wrote.
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Fanone added that in the two years since he began working for CNN he has spoken with "employees, producers, hosts, journalists, camera operators, etc," who were hesitant to represent the company when Trump was in the White House.
"They all have stories about the Trump years. When the former president attacked them (many by name), he inspired countless acts of violence, both threatened and overt, from his supporters. Many employees told me they were afraid to wear anything that identified them as CNN employees when out in public," he wrote. "So why lend your network’s platform to someone like that?"
CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Former President Trump regularly attacked CNN during his time in office. ((AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
CNN has also been attacked by the left for giving Trump a platform on the heels of a federal jury's decision to hold the former president liable for sexual abuse.
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Licht has attempted to overhaul the network and tamp down the spectacle and partisanship that marked its Trump-era coverage. However, Fanone indicated that many CNN staffers are still anti-Republican.
"In a recent trip to CNN’s Washington, D.C., bureau, I sat silently in the green room as guests, anchors, and employees filtered through and clamored about how outrageous it was that CBS would give Marjorie Taylor Green an interview on its prestigious ‘60 Minutes’ series. Good question? I hope my fellow CNN employees have the balls to raise those same questions with the network executives," he wrote.
CNN was blasted by its own contributor Michael Fanone for providing a platform for former President Trump to speak with voters. (Getty Images)
Green was featured last month on "60 Minutes," outraging figures on the left and, according to Fanone, fellow CNN staffers.
"CNN is a major American cable news outlet whose viewers trust that they are being given accurate reporting of events to the best of the network’s ability. With this trust comes an obligation and commitment to their viewers. In the past, CNN has recognized the dangers of allowing election deniers a public platform and would not allow them on-air. Under new ‘leadership,’ that policy has been discarded as evidenced by CNN’s decision," Fanone wrote.
CNN did not immediately respond when asked if Licht had an issue with Fanone putting the word "leadership" in quotes.
"I don’t believe for one second that this is about journalistic integrity. It’s about ratings and money," Fanone wrote.
"Sometimes things are exactly as they appear, and this appears to be an attempt by a major media outlet struggling with its ratings to attract disenfranchised viewers. To me, allowing Trump an open forum on a major television news network is the moral equivalent of putting an AR-15 in the hands of someone mentally unstable," he continued.
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CNN finished the first quarter of 2023 with its smallest audience among the advertiser-coveted demo during primetime since at least 1991.
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