Bernie Sanders set-up by CNN

Weekly Example of Media Bias   —   Posted on March 6, 2019

By Ruth Brown, NY Post:
…CNN has come under fire for presenting the questioners on Monday’s Townhall with presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders as everyday voters, without mentioning that some are local party officials or work for politically connected firms.

Among those who quizzed the Democratic-socialist presidential hopeful was:

• Baltimore County Democratic Party Chair Tara Ebersole, who was identified on the episode only as a “former biology professor,” and
• Charles County Democratic Central Committee Chair Abena McAllister, who was described as “an active Democrat,” according to Mediaite.
• Yunjung Seo was introduced as a college student, but neither host Wolf Blitzer nor the on-screen chyron mentioned that she is an intern at Democratic fundraising outfit the Katz Watson Group, according to her LinkedIn page.
• And Shadi Nasab was also presented as a college student, even though her LinkedIn page says she is an intern at DC lobbying firm Cassidy and Associates.

Lefty online news show “The Young Turks” noted that Shadi Nasab asked one of the toughest questions of the night — grilling the Vermont senator on a previous statement that he was “a little bit busy running around the country trying to make the case to be elected as president” to respond to sex assault allegations from his 2016 campaign.

“Some of you will say that’s too large a coincidence that someone…interning at the lobbying firm happens to ask the one that is the number one talking point against Bernie Sanders framed in exactly the way that an opponent would ask that question,” said host Cenk Uygur.

“Is it at a bare minimum relevant that she’s interning at a lobbying firm in DC? Bernie Sanders’ agenda would obviously not help lobbying firms in DC, so there’s a whole range of options as to how that question got onto the stage in the first place, but there’s no question CNN should’ve revealed her other attribute [her employer],” he added.

Uygur noted that CNN contributor Donna Brazile slipped town hall debate questions to Hillary Clinton during her 2016 primary against Sanders — and said the lack of disclosures in Monday’s segment will only further the impression that CNN is biased against Sanders. (During the 2016 primaries, CNN contributor Donna Brazile leaked questions to Team Hillary in advance of at least two debates with Bernie Sanders. CNN fired Brazile but the network did not explain how and why she had access to those questions. Later, emails were revealed showing that CNBC’s John Harwood and others asked Clinton campaign chief John Podesta and the Democratic National Committee for pointed questions to ask Republicans Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz.  A November 2016 poll found 75 percent thought the news media are pro-Clinton; only 7 percent said pro-Trump.)

“When CNN does a town hall for the other candidates and it’s New Hampshire, it’s in Iowa, it’s in the heartland. But when Bernie Sanders, they finally give him a town hall, they happen to put it in Washington, DC, and fill the room with lobbyists and PR agents and people that work in political offices — and then they don’t tell you? Come on!” the host exclaimed.

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The post above is from “CNN didn’t disclose Democratic Party ties of questioners in Sanders town hall” by Ruth Brown on Feb. 27 at NYPost .com