CNN’s ratings are down and former anchor Soledad O’Brien minced no words in telling us all why she thinks that is.
Yesterday O’Brien released a series of tweets at CNN reporter Chris Cillizza after he wrote a brow-raising item on CNN titled, “Donald Trump is producing the greatest reality show ever.”
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In the piece, Cillizza compares the mass exodus of Trump administration staffers to Survivor or Bachelor contestants and outlines various “plot twists.” The article first discusses the latest departure of White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, then moves on to referencing former communications director Anthony Scaramucci, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and the lawsuit from porn star Stormy Daniels.
“You can leave reality TV,”Cillizza wrote. “But reality TV never leaves you.
“The truth is that even Mark Burnett couldn’t create such a high-profile reality show with this much drama, this many personalities and this high of stakes,” he continued later in the article. “This is a project only Donald Trump could make happen.”
O’Brien, who left the network in 2013, angrily released a barrage of tweets directed at Cillizza, criticizing the piece and admonishing him for the method he used to tell the story.
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This terrible analysis by @CillizzaCNN is in part why people hate the media. https://t.co/xxRcAspyC1
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) March 7, 2018
https://twitter.com/CillizzaCNN/status/971217408601001984
You're welcome. You have a big platform, be thoughtful about the stories you tell and how you tell them.
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) March 7, 2018
For a second it seemed as if all parties intended to keep things cute. But then it became very clear that wasn’t going to last very long.
The only way my criticism would make sense is if I didn't read your article? *sigh*.
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) March 7, 2018
It gets even more testy from there.
It's not accurate. It's not funny. It's not clever. It's not analysis. It's facile. It shows an actual lack of understanding of reality tv (can't believe I'm typing that). It's mediocre. It's a time when viewers need to understand what's going on at the highest levels of govt.
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) March 7, 2018
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https://twitter.com/CillizzaCNN/status/971234726504747009
And then Twitter had a field day because – well it’s Twitter!
Oh my God, @soledadobrien just killed a man. pic.twitter.com/YU1BVrCvUA
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) March 7, 2018
Soledad over Cillizza. pic.twitter.com/WVAjUrN6EC
— Steven Senski 🇺🇦 (@StevenSenski) March 7, 2018
This been up on Wikipedia since last night. RIP Chris Cillizza and congratulations to @soledadobrien. Sometimes the internet is great. pic.twitter.com/Oes7YjLOWk
— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) March 7, 2018
Chris Cillizza getting dragged by Soledad O’Brien is a pretty good unexpected ending to this Tuesday
— Christie (@Christie_D22) March 7, 2018
Ya really can’t say .@CillizzaCNN didn’t have it coming. The guy is lawn sprinkler of bad takes. Sprays everyone with one crappy piece after another.
Particularly delicious that it was .@soledadobrien who gave him the deserved dressing down. https://t.co/DMx9FFUrkD
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) March 7, 2018
https://twitter.com/BookishFeminist/status/971239951693156352
https://twitter.com/ShomahKhoobi/status/971260698733969408