It is the kind of move that, had the players been changed, would have had Brian Stelter pontificating loudly about the inference of intolerance. But as the Republican convention kicked off last night, we saw a very curious decision made by the production staff at Brian’s network, and you have to raise a number of questions about the move, especially considering some of the comments made by Stelter himself.
Kim Klacik made a quick name for herself with a campaign ad she made to run for the representative seat in her hometown of Baltimore. That a forceful person of color was running as a GOP in Maryland’s 7th District is enough to turn a few heads, but her message, while strolling through the gutted backdrop of her city, was powerful and she became a sensation as a result.
So much so that she was invited to be one of the featured speakers at the Republican convention Monday night -- just don’t tell that to CNN. In truth, it appeared someone had let the network know. When it came time for Klacik’s message to begin CNN minimized her -- literally.
Her video was diminished to make room for the news network to run a commercial spot.
It can hardly be suggested that CNN had to cut away for time constraints at that moment. Klacik’s segment was following directly behind the live speech made by Florida Representative Matt Gaetz -- as the second speaker of the evening. The convention had only just begun, and CNN chose to use her time to run a Geico Insurance commercial. It's not difficult to believe this was an orchestrated decision.
Over the weekend on his "Reliable Sources" program Brian Stelter had paved the way for networks to cut away from convention coverage to lend insight and fact-check the commentary, as needed: “Television nets are going to have interesting choices to make...about whether to cut away if there’s this stream of disinformation happening live.” Bypassing the small detail that CNN was not so inspired during the lies told last week at the DNC Telethon, CNN cut off Klacik before she could even speak.
If you had been watching CNN Monday night here is her segment that may have been missed.
What makes this move by CNN to discard a POC Republican candidate all the more disturbing are some other words offered up by the network’s media expert.
In the minutes just ahead of the start of Monday’s lineup, Stelter had this comment to make, seemingly addressing the hostility between his industry and President Trump, and by extension the Republican Party.
"We'll hear many critiques of the media tonight and throughout the #RNC. But keep the power dynamic in mind: Convention organizers NEED the media to help their message reach a much wider audience. They need CNN, MSNBC and the broadcast nets…"
What transpired is a rather nice summation of what is wrong with the media complex these days. Stelter is essentially offering biased punditry - telling us what will happen, not reporting on what has happened -- and at the same time elevating his profession as an exalted presence in this country. And in just a matter of minutes his own network disproved all of his claims.
There had been no critiques delivered, and there was no fact checking taking place when Kim Klacik was walked over. Stelter boldly declares that he and his industry are sorely needed by the parties, and then about 15 minutes later, his network displays a refusal to enact the very outreach he trumpeted as their cause. Klacik never was on the receiving end of expert analysis of her message, she was denied the chance to deliver her message.
It will be up for speculation as to why CNN elected to mute her time in the public. Do not be afraid to use the same suggestive speculation of their motives that Stelter and CNN panelists use when assessing Republicans, or FoxNews.