Posted May 19, 2018 by Michael L. Brown

Maybe it’s a matter of timing. Maybe I’m not giving this a fair shake. But whenever I happen to tune in to CNN, there’s a panel of talking heads discussing President Trump and the porn star. Or President Trump and the Mueller investigation. Or President Trump and whether he’ll be impeached.

As for President Trump and Jerusalem. Or President Trump and Saudi Arabia. Or President Trump and Iran. Or President Trump and North Korea. Or President Trump and the American economy. Or President Trump and pro-life legislation. Or President Trump and national security – or whatever the major topic is – I almost never hear CNN talking about it.

As for CNN talking about a subject that didn’t mention Trump at all, I can’t remember the last time I witnessed that personally.

Now, I want to be totally honest. I watch very little TV news, so my sampling is quite small.

I get almost all my news reading online, and in that regard, my sampling is quite large.

Perhaps, if I sampled Fox News on TV the same way, I would get similarly skewed results, just in a different direction.

Again, I’m asking a question here rather than claiming scientific accuracy.

Still, I have to wonder: Is CNN giving even the slightest pretense to being fair and balanced? Is there even a modicum of desire to say, “We are not just here to slam the president”?

The fact is, although my sampling is small, it’s somewhat representative. That’s because the TVs in our home are programmed to start with CNN. (I’m not sure who set it up like that, but we’ve never changed it.)

So, when I want to watch some sports (perhaps while eating dinner at night when Nancy is not with me, or while winding down a little between writing projects), the first thing I see and hear is CNN.

The times of day can vary. The days of the week can vary. But one thing never varies.

I mean day after day. Week after week. Broadcast after broadcast. CNN anchor or talking head panel.

They’re breathlessly discussing President Trump and the latest alleged scandal. They’re examining the newest dirt in fine detail. They’re talking about chaos and upheaval and crisis. They’re talking about Trump melting down. Things are really bad, and they’re getting worse by the moment!

Watching CNN, you’re surprised when you hear the president under a single sane word. I thought he was out of his mind!

Watching CNN, you’re shocked to see that his administration survived another day. And you can hardly believe that Trump and Melania are still together.

Through the lens of CNN, the White House sky seems to be falling multiple times a day, as crisis after crisis comes crashing down. At least that’s how CNN’s reporting sounds in my ears.

So, again I ask, is it just me? Are my impressions simply the result of my poorly-timed, too-short, random sampling?

I don’t watch much TV in general, so maybe that’s the problem. Maybe I’m not giving CNN a fair shake.

On the other hand, what are the chances of my random sampling being that skewed?

As for CNN reporting on Trump’s major accomplishments, those can only be reported in the negative. He acted hastily. It was all for political gain. This is about Trump, not helping others. He’s making a total mess of things.

There is nothing good about the man or his administration. Nothing praiseworthy. Nothing positive. Not one thing.

And on a daily basis, aside from a major news headline – like another tragic school shooting – the big news is not the world news. The big news is the latest scandalous accusation against the president. At least, that’s the big news according to CNN.

So, is it just me? Am I tuning in at the wrong times or not watching for long enough periods? Or does CNN suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome?

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Comments

Deancooper posted a comment · May 26, 2018
Even though CNN has long been liberally biased, I used to like watching it. No more. They clearly have discovered that a business model based on bashing Trump sells well for them. But this has gone beyond just their natural hostility for conservatives. Trump embodies someone that they can hate and loathe with abandon, and feel good for doing so. Compounding this is that Trump has repeatedly attacked them so they have reacted by going all out in trying to destroy him. In my view, they have become downright evil in the vile they spew. But of course they are blind to this. They think -- or at least have worked themselves into it -- that Trump is the evil one. Derangement is really too kind of a word for what has happened to them.
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DLM posted a comment · May 23, 2018
I agree with your thoughts about CNN. However, I also must be balanced in this debate. CNN does not report on anything positive about Pres. Trump as Fox News does not give any time to be critical of the President. But this is about CNN. Being objective, I give credit to CNN for two things: 1) Having opposing sides (democrat/republican) for all discussions, and 2) to be factual about their reporting. Unfortunately we have a President who has lied, told half truths or misled facts over 3,000 times while in office. If this were not so CNN news would be forced to speak more so about other things like the other CNN shows do like "United Shades of American" and Anthony Bourdain. The White House is not a reality TV show and needs to stop acting like one for shows like CNN to change their reporting. This is the discussion that we should be having.