Bozell to CNN: Zakaria Must Recuse Himself Immediately

Alexandria, VA - Media Research Center President Brent Bozell denounces CNN for allowing the host of their "flagship international affairs program" to meet with President Obama on issues of foreign policy that affect the United States, issues that reporter Fareed Zakaria is charged with reporting objectively.

According to Bozell, Zakaria's admission [1] warrants an immediate recusal from reporting on these issues:

"The President's secret meetings with Zakaria - the same reporter who openly used a CNN network broadcast to promote Obama in 2008 [2] - show a clear and disturbing double standard at CNN.

"For decades, the liberal media have repeatedly condemned conservatives in the media who communicated privately with Republican presidents. They furiously attacked George Will in 1980 when he advised candidate Ronald Regan, and trounced on Roger Ailes [3] when he sent President Bush a note about the new war on terror in the wake of September 11th. Neither of them was a reporter.

"Zakaria is a reporter - or says so. To now claim that Zakaria's covert meetings do not conflict with his journalistic integrity is not only inaccurate, it's hypocritical by CNN's standards. As such, Zakaria must recuse himself immediately from covering foreign policy that affects the United States. A refusal to extricate himself is in clear violation of CNN's journalistic principles."