cnn

• Opinion

Zurawik: Cable TV owns 2020 race with town halls, candidate interviews. Mostly, that's a good thing

Anyone who has been watching any cable news during the early stages of the 2020 race knows how dominant, informational and powerful a role cable news has come to play in providing a microphone and stage for new voices and shaping the national conversation of politics and the presidency.

By David Zurawik

Apr 16, 2019

• Opinion

Pitts: Fox 'News' doesn't deserve a seat at the table

Leonard Pitts Jr: Fox News does not deserve to be treated as a legitimate news organization.

• Opinion

The end of a very bad year for Trump's right-wing message machine

President Donald Trump is struggling to control the media message in a way not seen before in his presidency.

By David Zurawik

Dec 31, 2018

• Opinion

Zurawik: After Trump v. Acosta, it's time to stop broadcasting White House press briefings live

Let’s put aside all the heated rhetoric and personality-oriented-Trump-v-Acosta framing and ask more fundamental questions, such as: With all the disinformation and lies coming from that podium in the White House press room, what are we getting from these sessions anyway?

By David Zurawik

Nov 20, 2018

• Opinion

CNN suing Trump White House for return of Acosta's credentials

CNN is suing President Donald Trump and top aides on the White House communications team in an effort to get correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credentials immediately restored, the network announced this morning.

By David Zurawik

Nov 13, 2018

• Features

Trump calls Baltimore native April Ryan a 'loser,' threatens to revoke press credentials

President Donald J. Trump on Friday called White House correspondent and CNN political analyst April Ryan a “loser” and “nasty,” and hinted that he is considering revoking press credentials of journalists.

By Brittany Britto

Nov 9, 2018

• Opinion

After White House suspension of CNN's Acosta, no middle ground any more in battle to cover Trump

Even by the contentious standards of President Trump’s generally troubled relationship with press, what happened Wednesday at the White House between him and reporters from CNN, NBC, PBS and American Urban Radio Networks is truly shocking. His response to CNN's Jim Acosta is beyond the pale.

By David Zurawik

Nov 8, 2018

• Opinion

NBC, Fox, Facebook pull racist Trump ad on eve of midterms

Zurawik on a racist Trump ad rejected by CNN — and after blowback, by NBC and Fox.

By David Zurawik

Nov 5, 2018

• Opinion

Zurawik: White House action against CNN reporter outrageous on so many levels

I cannot let this work week end without voicing outrage over CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins being barred from a White House press event Wednesday. The more I think about it, the angrier I get — especially Deputy Chief of Staff Bill Shine lecturing her.

By David Zurawik

Jul 26, 2018

• Opinion

Melania Trump gets good reviews from some of same media outlets her husband calls lying and hateful

Melania Trump's performance at Tuesday's state dinner gave media outlets a chance to contrast her qualities with those of her husband.

By David Zurawik

Apr 24, 2018

• Business

Sinclair posts anti-CNN video on local affiliates' websites after promo backlash

Local affiliates of the Sinclair Broadcast Group have posted links on the masthead of their websites to a youtube video responding to criticism regarding a message the company aired last week on the perils of “fake” news. 

By Christina Tkacik

Apr 10, 2018

• Opinion

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg says he's open to government regulation. So what are we waiting for?

While Zuckerberg sounded like he was saying some of the right things in the CNN interview about the Cambridge Analytica scandal, his record on matters of social responsibility and stewardship of personal data contributed by members of his Facebook community is dismal.

By David Zurawik

Mar 22, 2018

• Opinion

Sam Nunberg interviews were weird, sad — and righteously newsworthy

I have seen a lot of strange things on cable news TV the last 25 years, but the journey through live interviews that former Donald Trump aide Sam Nunberg took Monday on MSNBC and CNN was one of the strangest and saddest.

By David Zurawik

Mar 6, 2018

• Opinion

Right-wing's 'deep state' narrative sounding like 1950s McCarthy talk to me

The right-wing's 'deep state' narrative is sounding way too much like Joe McCarthy talk from the 1950s to me. That was one of my observations on CNN's "Reliable Sources" Sunday in a conversation with host Brian Stelter, CNN's Hadas Gold and Yahoo's Michael Isikoff.

By David Zurawik

Feb 5, 2018

• Opinion

Cable news outperforms expectations in covering #MeToo, Trump's vulgar comment

It is easy to mock cable news for its countdown clocks, endless loops of the same images playing repeatedly on breaking news, and occasionally over-the top prime-time hosts. But I have also been finding some of the smartest discussions and most in-depth coverage there as well.

By David Zurawik

Jan 19, 2018

• Baltimore City Paper

Bridge Over Troubled Water: How the right acts as a "bridge phenomenon" for white supremacists

In his tax speech in Pennsylvania last week, President Trump gave a shout out to "the great Jeffrey Lord."

• Baltimore City Paper

Behold: Some legend in a "Baller Blockin'" t-shirt mocking local TV news

• Opinion

April Ryan joins CNN as contributor, will speak in Baltimore Wednesday

April Ryan, Morgan State University graduate and White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, will join CNN as a contributor, the news channel

By David Zurawik

Apr 3, 2017

• Opinion

Stephen Adler, Jeffrey Toobin bring wisdom to Sunday morning TV

I was lucky enough to be part of two panels Sunday on CNN's "Reliable Sources," and each had something special to offer viewers.

By David Zurawik

Mar 12, 2017

• Opinion

Goldberg: Media criticism of Conway reveals a double standard

The Fourth Estate thinks viewers can't see through Kellyanne Conway's spin, so they must be protected from it.

• Opinion

Use of partisan political operatives tarnishes early TV election coverage

For the last 18 months, CNN has chosen to live or die with political operatives playing a prominent role in its campaign coverage. Despite widespread criticism, the channel stuck with that strategy on election night, and mainly died with it in the early going.

By David Zurawik

Nov 8, 2016

• Opinion

Donna Brazile CNN case highlights sin of mixing politicos with journalists

On Sunday, I wrote about the dangers of mixing politicos with journalists in a piece about ABC News adding Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to its

By David Zurawik

Oct 31, 2016

• Opinion

Fox seven months late in taking on Donald Trump for Megyn Kelly attacks

Fox News has been getting some support for a statement it issued Friday denouncing Donald Trump for his continued attacks on show host Megyn Kelly. But on CNN's "Reliable Sources" Sunday, I said the tough Fox stance was about seven months late.

By David Zurawik

Mar 20, 2016

• Opinion

Fox-Trump feud has to confuse those who are fans of both

CNN's "Reliable Sources" devoted its full hour Sunday to the feud between Donald Trump and Fox News, and I took part in two of the segments.

By David Zurawik

Jan 31, 2016

• Opinion

CNN-Baltimore Sun report does justice to Freddie Gray story

The first thing you should know about the CNN-Baltimore Sun special report "Who Killed Freddie Gray?" is that it doesn't deliver on the promise of the title. But that TV tease of a title is one of the few criticism I have of this hour-long report that looks at Gray¿s death, the unrest that followed and some of the efforts to improve police-community relations since. And no matter how much you think you know about Freddie Gray and the events following his death, you will learn something from this skillfully crafted production.

By David Zurawik

Jan 19, 2016

• Opinion

CNN-Baltimore Sun report on Freddie Gray to air Tuesday

CNN will air a special report on Freddie Gray, produced with The Baltimore Sun, at 9 Tuesday night, the news channel announced Friday.

By David Zurawik

Jan 15, 2016

• News

Media coalition intervenes, calls for broader court transparency in Baltimore officers' trials

A coalition of local and national media outlets has intervened in court to call for broader transparency and increased access to legal documents in the prosecution of the Baltimore police officers in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray.

By Kevin Rector

Jan 5, 2016

• Opinion

Strong GOP debate marred by CNN's lust for conflict

CNN did a couple of things much better this time around than it did in its September Republican debate. As a result, it was, by and large, a more informative telecast for viewers.

By David Zurawik

Dec 16, 2015

• CNN

CNN says Jeff Zucker did not apologize to staff for Freddie Gray article

CNN is denying a story that said President Jeff Zucker apologized to staff during a town hall meeting Tuesday for a reference made to Freddie Gray's mother in an online story.

By David Zurawik

Dec 1, 2015

• Opinion

Hillary Clinton, Benghazi, media narratives and the hero quest

I was on CNN Sunday talking about Hillary Clinton and the dramatic turn her narrative has taken.

By David Zurawik

Oct 25, 2015

• Opinion

CNN draws largest audience ever for Democratic debate

CNN's audience Tuesday night was the largest ever for a Democratic TV debate.

By David Zurawik

Oct 14, 2015

• Politics

When is the Democratic debate?

When do Democrats debate? Here are some details ahead of Tuesday's presidential showdown on CNN.

By Sean Welsh

Oct 11, 2015

• Opinion

Inside the rise and fall (and rise) of a Baltimore tourism campaign

Mike Rowe describes his CNN series, "Somebody's Gotta Do It," as "a light-hearted show on a serious network." But this season, which starts at 10 p.m. Sunday, he's going to take on a very serious topic: Baltimore's media image following the riots in April after the death of Freddie Gray.

By David Zurawik

Sep 25, 2015

• Opinion

Debating the GOP debate and return of Brian Williams

On CNN's "Reliable Sources" Sunday, we debated last week's GOP debate and the return of Brian Williams on MSNBC.

By David Zurawik

Sep 20, 2015

• Opinion

Still huge: CNN debate averages 23 million viewers

Politics continues to be a huge draw with CNN reporting an average audience of 22.939 million viewers for Wednesday night's GOP debate. And that's across three hours - the longest TV debate ever.

By David Zurawik

Sep 17, 2015

• Opinion

CNN debate had its moments, but real problems as well

CNN's GOP debate Wednesday night had some very good moments. And I definitely came away with a better sense of some candidates than I had when the event started - especially Carly Fiorina.

By David Zurawik

Sep 16, 2015

• Entertainment

Media horde grows at second day of Freddie Gray hearings

CNN, Fox, the Associated Press, National Public Radio and Buzzfeed were among the outlets represented for the hearing.

By Mary Carole McCauley

Sep 10, 2015

• Opinion

CNN, Arwa Damon chronicling refugee plight with power, passion

If you want to see the kind of great journalism that cable TV is still capable of when it shakes itself out of its Trump-drunk summer stupor, turn on CNN or go to CNN.com and chack out its coverage of the desperate journey Syrian refugees are now making through Hungary. The promised land they hope to reach is Germany.

By David Zurawik

Sep 4, 2015

• Opinion

Post-Freddie-Gray, interviewers want to hear what Baltimore teens have to say

On April 27, when the Baltimore rioting began, CNN anchor-reporter Victor Blackwell was perched in a Marriott Hotel bar in Port-au-Prince on vacation. A TV broadcast footage of teens and others battling police.

By David Zurawik

Aug 21, 2015

• Opinion

Baltimore back in the cable news wheelhouse with tabloid-style Freddie Gray coverage

Baltimore is back in the cable news wheelhouse this week with Fox and CNN hitting Freddie-Gray-related stories hard last night and today.

By David Zurawik

Jun 10, 2015

• Opinion

O'Malley got lots of cable TV attention, but most of it was bad

Martin O'Malley got a lot of national cable news attention Saturday morning when he announced in Baltimore for president. But most of it was bad, with analysts criticizing him from him the left and the right before and after live coverage of his announcement.

By David Zurawik

May 30, 2015

• Opinion

CNN's 'big story' approach to Freddie Gray

The problem with CNN's big story approach in Baltimore is that when you don't have a big story, you have to pretend that you do.

• Features

Swimsuit-clad Mike Rowe revisits Baltimore for CNN show

CNN host Mike Rowe visits Fort McHenry, dons swim trunks for CNN show "Somebody's Gotta Do It."

By Mary Carole McCauley

May 4, 2015

• Baltimore City Paper

Baltimore Has No Chill: A compilation of residents calling people on their bullshit

• Opinion

Carl Stokes explains his use of the 'N word' on CNN

After lighting up the Internet with his use of the "N word" in a heated exchange with CNN's Erin Burnett Tuesday, Baltimore City Council member Carl Stokes was back on the cable channel this afternoon explaining his words.

By David Zurawik

Apr 29, 2015

• Baltimore City Paper

The Fight for Freddie Gray: Dispatches from last week's protests

• Opinion

CNN MIA, local TV tries to step up as Freddie Gray protests turn ugly

After a week of cable and network news providing most of the best TV coverage of protests in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray, the national outlets were mainly missing in action tonight when things got ugly.

By David Zurawik

Apr 26, 2015

• Opinion

Mike Rowe talks Speedos, CNN and a better Baltimore TV image

When last we spoke with Mike Rowe, he was talking about how he planned to use his new CNN show "Somebody's Gotta Do It" to try and improve Baltimore's TV image.

By David Zurawik

Apr 8, 2015

• Opinion

Kevin Spacey to produce, host CNN docu-series on presidential campaigns

It loooks like Kevin Spacey can't get enough of the Oval Office.

By David Zurawik

Mar 9, 2015

• Opinion

Former CBS staffer Eric Engberg goes on CNN to rip Bill O'Reilly Falklands claims

Former CBS News correspondent Eric Engberg followed his blistering Facebook post on Saturday about Bill O'Reilly with an appearance Sunday on CNN's "Reliable Sources."

By David Zurawik

Feb 22, 2015