CNN really showed its bias in reacting to two very different Supreme
Court decisions this week. On Tuesday, the Court struck down a portion
of the 1965 Voting Rights Act; in the hours that followed, CNN's
coverage included four times as many critics of the decision as
supporters (8 vs. 2).
Then on Wednesday, the Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act
and permitted the nullification of California's Proposition 8 banning
gay marriage. This time, CNN's coverage skewed in favor of the Court,
with roughly three times as many on-air guests supporting that decision
as opposing it (20 vs. 7).
The common denominator: in both instances, CNN permitted the liberal viewpoint to overwhelm its coverage -- in favor of the Court rulings on Wednesday, criticizing them on Tuesday. Yet, CNN continues to act as if it's somehow a middle-of-the-road network between the hard-left MSNBC and more conservative Fox News.
For example, on Tuesday CNN's Wolf Blitzer began The Situation Room
hyping the words of "veteran civil rights activist Congressman John
Lewis" – he left out Lewis' Democratic party affiliation – that the
Court's decision was "a dagger in the heart of the Voting Rights Act."
Lewis later told Blitzer in an interview, "It is awful. It's a sad day.
I never thought that I would see the day when the United States Supreme
Court would put a dagger in the heart of the Voting Rights Act of
1965."
Then later that evening, host Piers Morgan trashed the Court's
decision: "But it is sad and pretty extraordinary that you have to have
the first African-American President of the United States coming out
blazing with fury at a Supreme Court decision like this. It's almost,
you know, all the steps he took forward for America with his election
being thrown right back again."
Fast-forward to Wednesday, when CNN hosts and guests cheered the
Court's decisions. Piers Morgan gushed to the lawyers of the couples
challenging Prop 8: "Ted Olson and David Boies, you've obviously
famously opposed each other in the past. I prefer you getting together
because that seems to be very effective. So, congratulations on a
terrific day, and long may you continue to move forward with this in the
future."
Morgan even asked if Court's gutting of DOMA didn't go far enough: "Are
you frustrated, though, despite the success, that what we didn't get
today from the Supreme Court was a decision on a homosexual's
constitutional right to get married in America?"
And
CNN's Wednesday bias wasn't just limited to its hosts and on-air
guests. The network gathered soundbites from many different same-sex
marriage advocates celebrating the decisions at a gay bar, outside the
Supreme Court, and outside the San Francisco city hall.
Anchor Don Lemon showed live footage of a gay "kiss-out" and took viewers inside [1] the Stonewall Inn in New York City, a gay bar, to get the reactions from various patrons.
Correspondent Brian Todd interviewed four different same-sex marriage
advocates outside the Supreme Court just before and after the rulings.
Dan Simon got the reaction from a happy same-sex marriage supporter in
San Francisco.
And CNN also showed live coverage of statements by the plaintiffs in
the Proposition 8 case, two same-sex couples, as well as the statement
of Edith Windsor, the plaintiff in the DOMA lawsuit.
CNN was even more biased in the prime-time than during the day. From
the 5 p.m. through the 9 p.m. ET news hours, 13 guests supporting the
same-sex marriage rulings appeared on CNN, compared to only two
opponents.
Guests throughout the day included singer and gay activist Melissa
Etheridge, and NFL punter Chris Kluwe who actively supports same-sex
marriage. Host Wolf Blitzer gave a fawning interview to a gay couple and
their adoptive child during the 1 p.m. ET hour.
"And I'm sure it will be a lovely, lovely ceremony. Your daughter Ellie
is there, she's got two dads. Tell us a little what it's like for Ellie
to have two fathers," Blitzer cooed to the couple. He added, "She's
obviously a pretty smart little girl over there. And both of you should
be very proud of her. Once again, congratulations on your upcoming – is
there a date already for the wedding?"
In contrast, traditional marriage supporter John Eastman got a colder reception from Around the World co-hosts
Michael Holmes and Suzanne Malveaux. Holmes challenged his opposition
to the Court's DOMA ruling, "how are you harmed by this decision? How is
anyone harmed by this decision?"
Malveaux cited polls to ask if Eastman was on the "wrong side of
history": "Does it concern you might be out of step, lock-step here and
on the wrong side of history?" When he answered that "polls come and
go," Malveaux butted in that "It's clear that people's opinions are
changing about this evolving issue."
Host Erin Burnett gave a glowing interview to two same-sex marriage advocates on Wednesday's OutFront.
"And Joel, how do you feel? Is jubilant a fair word to describe how you
feel today?" she asked openly-gay Fort Worth city councilman Joel
Burns.
When Burns described how he would file his tax return jointly with his
partner, Burnett interrupted to tout, "I only have to interrupt you for a
quick second just to say you are the first person I have ever heard
excited about filing tax returns. And that should say how meaningful
this is."
On Anderson Cooper 360, Cooper hosted pro-gay bloggers Andrew Sullivan and Evan Wolfson. Cooper revealed he was gay last summer on Sullivan's blog.
Then Cooper interviewed Jean Podrasky, the lesbian cousin of Chief
Justice John Roberts, as well as her partner. "So Jean, your cousin the
Chief Justice's majority opinion in the Prop 8 case, dismissing it on
procedural grounds, means that you and Grace and millions of other gay
and lesbian California residents will be able to get married. It's not
like he went to bat for gay rights, certainly, in that opinion, but the
practical impact is huge for people in California. How do you feel?"