CNN’s Brian Stelter assured viewers over the weekend that true patriotism is “alive and well” at the network.
The host of “Reliable Sources” used Fox News coverage and the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani as a springboard for discussing the definition of patriotism.
“Let’s talk about patriotism for a minute,” Mr. Stelter said Sunday. “Don’t be fooled by the propagandists who are going to tell you to wear blinders in the days and weeks and months ahead. They’re already starting to do this. They’re starting to tell you just rally around the flag. But it is patriotic to ask for evidence. It is patriotic to question official accounts, to wonder if the public is being manipulated into a wider war.”
The host noted healthy skepticism displayed by Fox’s Tucker Carlson before showing a “Fox & Friends” clip of host Pete Hegseth.
“I bemoan the fact, especially since the Iraq War, it feels like patriotism is largely dead among our journalism corps,” Mr. Hegseth said in the clip. “Where is the home team for a lot of these people?”
“Pete, patriotism is alive and well in America’s newsrooms,” Mr. Stelter responded, NewsBusters reported. “But I suspect that kind of talk is going to keep up. If this gets worse, if more missiles fly, the American press the Americans are under more pressure to rally around the flag, to toe the line, and to save their questions for later. But, now is the time, right now, to insist on evidence and accountability.”
“Fox & Friends” made headlines last week when contributor Geraldo Rivera questioned his colleagues’ take on President Trump’s airstrike.
“Six months ago … this guy was our friend,” Mr. Rivera said Friday of the deceased Quds Force leader. “We may not have loved him, but he was our ally in the fight against ISIS. Everyone, do we remember ISIS? It’s like ISIS never existed. ISIS had a caliphate. They were cutting people’s heads off. Wait a second — they were burning Americans! We know who ISIS is. Who helped us defeat ISIS? This same guy! Soleimani. He saved people.”
Fox’s Brian Kilmeade countered that Quds — a designated terrorist group — did whatever needed in any given situation to forward Iranian interests.
“[Iran’s forces] were responsible for killing Americans,” Mr. Kilmeade exclaimed. “They supported the whole insurgency [in Iraq]!”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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