Oops! What’s Up, Dox?

No, the title is not a misspelling. For those of you who are not in the know, ‘doxing’ is the exposing the personal identity of an internet user for a malicious purpose. That is what CNN threatened to do to the individual credited with the Reddit anti-CNN video tweeted by Donald Trump. After CNN initially said that the President was “inciting violence” against the media, they then threatened to dox the Reddit user who created the video, but not without significant backlash . . . Oops!

So “What’s Up?”

Certainly not CNN ratings, which are tanking. Last week, in prime time CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Don Lemmon fell below ‘Nick at Night’ which was showing Yogi Bear and old sitcom reruns! In fact, CNN fell to #13 in overall cable ratings – behind blockbuster stations such as USA, ESPN, FX, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel!                                                                                      Of course, Fox News was #1, but CNN at #13! . . . Oops!

Oh how the mighty have fallen! – but why? Well, in my opinion, the answer is twofold. One reason is “Fake News”. Certainly by now everyone has heard this Trumpism, and many may feel that this has been exaggerated. But read on, as I list just some of the Fake News that CNN has tried to push just in the last few weeks.                                                                                                                                              Three of CNN’s top journalists “resigned” after publishing a story that turned out to be untrue. . . Oops!                                                                                                            This was before CNN’s top editor tweeted and then promoted a video that was supposed to show Poland’s First Lady dissing Mr. Trump – but wait,a wider view showed that this was not true. . . Oops!                                                                Again on July 4th CNN came out with a quote (that was directed at President Trump), from Abraham Lincoln, “Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe.” Only one problem . . . Lincoln did not say it!  . . . Oops!    Also on the same day CNN attributed a quote to Benjamin Franklin,that was said by some Englishman . . . Oops!

Of course, the CNNers will say that these are merely small missteps. However, the dilemma for us T.V. viewers is if there are falsehoods consistently on CNN, how do we know when they are actually telling the truth?

Unfortunately for CNN, it is not only the Fake News that is turning off its viewers, but its programming agenda is getting really old. Even CNN’s Alisyn Camerota is bemoaning CNN’s “Russia fatigue”, as on her 7/12 show 93% of the air-time was Trump-Russia related. An Iowa radio news director emailed CNN media reporter, Brian Stelter, on 7/13/17 to tell him that the conservatives are “very angry” at the legacy press as they are using Russia stories to “oust” and delegitimize Donald Trump. In working class areas of Pa., Oh., Wi., Ky., and Tn there are similar opinions. Likewise a recent Harvard-Harris poll that showed that 2/3 of Americans think that there is a campaign to delegitimize President Trump, and CNN is one of the prominent anti-Trump mainstream media megaphones. . . Oops!

Has CNN made a conscious business decision to be anti-Trump? The Trump people certainly seem to think so. On CNN’s Chris Cuomo’s morning show on 7/10/17 Kellyanne Conway said, “You’ve made a business decision to be anti-Trump” and on 7/11 Sebastian Gorka (Trump National Security aide) told CNN, “You are not in the news business anymore; you’re in the attacking President Trump business.” No one from CNN appears to be refuting such statements!    Is this a business decision? If so, . . . Oops!

As CNN now seems to appeal only to those on both coasts, it makes one think, “does CNN now stand for Coastal Negative (anti-Trump) Network?” (Notice that I did not include the word, News, in my new ‘CNN’.) Even at my gym where you have a true cross section of Californians, no one is any longer using the machines that are in front of the T.V.s that are tuned in to CNN. What’s up? Could there yet be hope for the Golden State?