Open Letter to CNN (Lemon and Burnett) [View all]
TO: Don Lemon and Erin Burnett, CNN
Today I heard both of you comment about Hillary Clinton and the Obamas finally “breaking their silence” with respect to Harvey Weinstein. You both tsk-tsked disapprovingly, implying that there was something untoward about the timing: “What took them so long?”
Well, let me explain something to you – something you both should (and probably do) already know. Hillary Clinton and both Obamas are now private citizens. They are under no obligation to anyone to make public statements about anything. And they certainly aren’t under any obligation to express their opinions in accordance with whatever timeline you have decided is appropriate.
I find it particularly appalling that anyone from CNN – or any other mainstream news media outlet, for that matter – would dare to question what took Hillary, Barack and Michelle five days to condemn Weinstein and his behaviour. The more important question is what took you, and your news media colleagues, so long to speak up about Donald Trump?
Trump’s history as a sexual predator was known long before he launched his presidential campaign. There were countless allegations against him, including an allegation of raping a 13-year-old girl. It was also well-known that he regularly cheated workers out of their pay, used his “charitable foundation” to pay personal debts, boasted about his own donations to charities that were known never to have happened, had ties to organized crime – the list goes on.
Where were you when CNN was airing Trump’s campaign events in full, thereby providing him with an endless stream of free publicity? Where were you when Trump repeatedly made statements that were outright lies that you never even mentioned, no less challenged?
Of course, now that Trump has labelled CNN “fake news”, you’ve all got a lot to say about him. Now his lies, his bizarre behaviour, and his past are considered fair game. But the question arises again: What took you so long? Why did you think it appropriate to keep Trump’s sordid history, sexual and otherwise, off the table until he specifically insulted you?
Harvey Weinstein never ran for president. Donald Trump did. It was your obligation as journalists to inform the public exactly who he was. You didn’t. Maybe you were just too busy talking about Hillary’s emails and Benghazi to mention all of Trump’s past transgressions, including his sexual harassment and/or assaults on women.
As disgusting as Weinstein’s behaviour is, it does not obligate anyone to comment on it, opine on it, or release a public statement about it – especially private citizens. To even hint that Hillary Clinton and the Obamas “took too long” to do so is beyond insulting – particularly in light of the mainstream news media’s behaviour in the lead-up to the 2016 election. It’s not that you “took too long” to even mention Trump’s past history – you simply didn’t do it at all.
And now the self-proclaimed pussy-grabber is in the White House – no small thanks to self-proclaimed TV news journalists who are suddenly appalled that someone didn’t immediately speak-up about something when they could have.
--- NanceGreggs
Extremely Irate US Citizen
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