The 2016 presidential election has so far lived up to its billing as a circus for most in the media. It is either a self-fulfilling prophecy or a sign that the candidate pool has reached the bottom of the tank. We’ll have to wait till November to find that out for sure. But the obvious thing we’ve seen is how the non-stop coverage from all angles has taken its toll on those who report the news.
For some, like Megyn Kelly on Fox News, they have become the news themselves due to their relationships with the candidates. Others are showing their allegiances and causing a schism, like Joe Scarborough at MSNBC or the recent exodus from Breitbart. But no group seems to be feeling the strain more than the folks at CNN. It’s either stress or it is a new mixture between news and entertainment.
Take Erin Burnett above, discussing her embarrassment over covering the recent spat between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump while reporting live from Brussels. There are plenty of moments where real feelings slip through for on-air talent, but this sort of revelation shows how far we’ve dipped with the election coverage. And Burnett isn’t alone.
Don Lemon had an excitable moment on his show Friday night with Omarosa Manigault, forcing him to cut her mic and run to a commercial break before returning to complete the segment.
Lemon and Omarosa cooled the fires a bit upon return, noting their friendship and the silliness of the incident, but it’s becoming common for CNN anchors to forcefully wrangle in their interviews with supporters from all sides. And it has only seemed to amplify with the recent events between the candidates.
Now this sort of emotion and coverage hasn’t been bad for CNN as a whole. According to Mediaite, CNN’s primetime ratings have been up in the past weeks, with the network garnering 12 million viewers for their most recent debate and a ratings record with their Super Tuesday 2 coverage. People can’t seem to get enough of it and the excitement won’t stop.
Even the recent rumbling around a Ted Cruz sex scandal made the air, causing quite a dramatic moment when Adriana Cohen asked Ted Cruz supporter Amanda Carpenter about her role in the report while on the air. If this is what is working for the network, the executives can’t be unhappy. The reporters likely won’t say the same.
(Via CNN)
