CNN and the dangerous distortion of truth while New Yorkers died

CNN was blasted as "an abject disgrace to both the journalism profession and America writ large" in the wake of an aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo admitting the state withheld COVID-19 nursing home death data after months of glowing coverage from the disgraced network.

Gov. Cuomo’s little brother, Chris, hosts "Cuomo Prime Time" on CNN, regularly providing a platform last year for the governor to appeal to viewers by conducting playful on-air conversations masquerading as interviews amid the nursing home scandal.

"[CNN pundit] Brian Stelter's book may have been called Hoax, but what CNN has been doing for the past year on New York's coronavirus response has been a hoax and an abject disgrace to both the journalism profession and America writ large," NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck told Fox News.

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CNN did not immediately respond to a series of questions, including whether or not it regrets previous interviews between the Cuomo siblings and if the network will allow Chris to cover his brother going forward after the latest embarrassing revelations. 

The scandal started when Gov. Cuomo infamously ordered nursing homes in the Empire State to accept patients who had, or were suspected of having, COVID-19 in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo, who his younger brother sometimes adoringly refers to as the "Love Gov," eventually reversed the decision – but thousands had died from COVID-19 in New York nursing homes before Cuomo reversed course.  

But the scandal that CNN’s most popular host largely avoided took another turn on Thursday when a top Cuomo aide told leading state Democratic lawmakers that the administration had withheld data on COVID-19 deaths at nursing homes to avoid federal scrutiny, according to a bombshell New York Post report.

Cuomo's show and CNN's primetime hours did not mention the new developments on Thursday night.

CNN’s cozy treatment of the governor helped make him a darling of the left during the early stages of the pandemic. CNN set the tone, as hosts who aren’t even related to Gov. Cuomo regularly lavished praise upon his leadership. CNN’s Brian Stelter once declared, "He’s proving hope, but not false hope," and said he would teach his children to follow in the governor’s footsteps.

Cuomo has made regular appearances on his kid brother’s CNN program, "Cuomo Prime Time." The siblings began their widely panned series of interviews that typically avoided significant issues bubbling up throughout the Empire State in favor of criticism of then-President Trump and the federal response.

The CNN host often joked around with his big brother about things such as who is their mother’s favorite child. Days after Cuomo signed an executive order on May 11 stopping hospitals from sending infected patients back to nursing homes, he appeared on his brother’s show for a 25-minute sit-down that made no mention of the tragic nursing home death toll.

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During one interview that has been widely mocked in media circles, the Cuomo siblings essentially treated CNN viewers to a prop comedy routine at the height of the nursing home crisis as Americans wanted answers.

The unforgettable images of CNN’s Cuomo teasing his brother about the size of his nose by holding up a comically oversized Q-Tip has resurfaced across social media just about any time the siblings make news and become a symbol to some of CNN’s failure to hold the governor accountable.

"Under Jeff Zucker, it's all been about narratives with heroes and villains. And in CNN's world, their primetime host's brother has been a hero and those that challenge him have been villains," Houck continued. "If CNN wanted to hold Cuomo accountable, they should look themselves in the mirror and do so publicly on multiple shows -- if not all of them -- and admit that they were wrong. But they won't."

Cornell Law School professor and media critic William A. Jacobson told Fox News that the hyperpartisan CNN failed its viewers by allowing the Cuomo siblings to yuck it up instead of addressing serious issues.

"CNN never should have permitted Chris Cuomo to interview his brother Andrew as part of a news program. The conflict is obvious," Jacobson said.  Perhaps if Chris had no conflict, he would have pressed Andrew on how Andrew's policies contributed to nursing home deaths, rather than laughing it up and displaying a giant test swab."

CNN’s Cuomo finally mentioned the nursing home controversy to his brother after ignoring it during at least 10 on-air interviews since the scandal began, but the governor quickly pointed to how there were nursing home deaths "all across the country" and said "we have to figure out how to do it better the next time" before the next virus wave occurs.

At the end of the interview, the CNN anchor showered the governor with praise as New York's leader and even admitted to his viewers, "Of course, I'm not objective," while expressing his love for his brother.

The latest revelation prompted condemnations and even talk of impeachment in Albany, the state's capital. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., wants the Department of Justice to open an obstruction of justice investigation.

The Post bombshell has resulted in a new batch of questions about the role CNN played in glorifying the governor, who won an Emmy and even wrote a book about his own heroism during the pandemic. 

Houck noted that a small number of CNN personalities have recently criticized Gov. Cuomo on the heels of damning information about the nursing home death toll but "it's too little, too late" and the governor has already been portrayed as a media darling to viewers.

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"They had already established their storyline in poisoning the minds of viewers that Cuomo was a hero and criticism of him was either jealousy or partisan," Houck said.

Stelter, who serves as CNN’s in-house media critic, is typically outspoken when it comes to most issues surrounding journalism ethics. However, Stelter has not spoken out about extensive concerns regarding his colleague’s on-air chats with the governor.

Other media critics feel Stelter's employer shouldn’t allow the younger Cuomo to prop up his brother any longer.

"Given the seriousness of the latest revelations as to possible malfeasance by NY State officials, CNN needs to take Chris Cuomo off the Andrew Cuomo news coverage," Jacobson said.

DePauw University professor and media critic Jeffrey McCall echoed the notion that CNN should not have allowed "Chris to interview his newsmaker brother about any matter remotely related to actual news" when Americans wanted answers.

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"There is just no way that Chris can maintain any sense of journalistic distance, especially when reporting about matters of pandemic life and death. All major journalism codes of ethics, including the Radio Television Digital News Association, clearly warn against conflicts of interest. Interviewing a brother for news purposes is exactly such a conflict of interest," McCall told Fox News.

"Especially now that new information about the alleged mismanagement of the pandemic in New York is surfacing, Chris should not be interviewing or even reporting about anything associated with the New York governor's office," McCall added. "Further, CNN would be wise to publicly state that all coverage of the New York response to the pandemic going forward will not have any role for or input from Chris."

CNN’s parent company, Warner Media, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Media credibility hinges on the public trusting its news sources," McCall said. "Even the most casual news consumer has enough sense to know that a brother journalist can't be balanced and objective reporting on his brother's actions as a politician."

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The Post first reported that Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, told leading Empire State Democrats that the administration feared the data could "be used against us" by the Justice Department during a video conference call.

The DOJ began investigating nursing home coronavirus deaths in four states back in August – and New York was one of them.

"We were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation," DeRosa told the lawmakers, according to the Post report.

Ironically, CNN’s Cuomo has publicly questioned data from other governors to whom he isn't related. 

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DeRosa's bombshell admission also fueled fury over an earlier discovery by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said in late January that an investigation by her office revealed Cuomo's administration had undercounted the COVID-19 death toll linked to nursing homes by as much as 50 percent.

DeRosa has since attempted to walk back the claim, insisting Friday that the governor's office was "comprehensive and transparent" in responding to records requests from the Trump administration's Justice Department. 

The statement did little to quell the anger from Republican lawmakers, some of whom are now calling for a criminal indictment of Cuomo and top staffers for their mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., told FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo on Friday that he would be filing a criminal complaint with local and federal law enforcement for DeRosa's arrest. 

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"The second most powerful person in state government and top aide to Gov. Cuomo admitted on video to the premeditated and willful violation of state laws and what clearly amounts to federal obstruction of justice," said state GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy. "Andrew Cuomo has abused his power and destroyed the trust placed in the office of governor. Prosecution and impeachment discussions must begin right away." 

It remains unclear if CNN will allow the governor’s little brother to chime in on the ongoing scandal.

Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Vandana Rambaran and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.