Topic: CNSNews.com
CNSNews.com is pretty much on board for whatever will advance President Trump's re-election. The fight over former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn is one thing it has decided is relevant.
After Flynn's attorney released notes from FBI agents that she claimed showed them trying to catch Flynn in a lie -- you know, like the one Flynn pleaded guilty to -- CNS flooded the over the next couple days:
- Gen. Flynn's Attorney: Newly Revealed FBI Notes Show FBI 'Abuse of Authority'; 'Absolutely Appalling'
- Sen. Graham: FBI Notes on Flynn 'Reek of Criminal Misconduct'; Nunes: 'Set-Up'
- McConnell: Flynn Entrapped? It Would Be 'A Major, Major Error' by FBI's 'Top Leadership'
- Bongino on Flynn Case: ‘I Wish Police-State Liberals’ Understood ‘We Do Not Investigate People in Search of Crimes’
- Sidney Powell: Case Against Flynn 'Must Be Dismissed, Preferably for Gov't Misconduct'
- Rep. Jordan Asks, 'Why Didn't Chris Wray Tell Us?' Flynn's Attorney Has an Answer
That's six stories in two days devoted exclusively to pushing a pro-Flynn (and, thus, pro-Trump) narrative. They were followed a few days later with a couple more articles, one of which, "'Where's Chris Wray Been?' Rep. Jordan Asks Why Wray Didn't Tell Congress About 'FBI Misconduct'," follows in CNS' history of pushing the same exact pro-Trump talking point over multiple articles.
None of them even hinted that there's another side to the story: that giving Flynn an opportunity to tell the truth or lie about his dealings is standard lawa enforcement procedure and that it was not entrapment. After all, if Flynn had simply told the FBi agents the truth, he could have avoided all this trouble.
When Trump's Justice Department announced that it would seek to dismiss its case against Flynn, CNS flooded the zone again:
- Justice Dept. Files Motion to Dismiss Case Against Gen. Flynn
- Trump on Obama Administration: ‘They’re Human Scum’
- Grassley: 'I Think There's More Shoes to Drop, and I Think There Will Be Prosecutions’
- Flynn's Attorney Slams 'Malevolent' Plot; Graham Will Invite Flynn to Testify About His Ordeal
- Geraldo: ‘Right On, Gen. Flynn…The Unraveling of the Coup Attempt’ Against Pres. Trump Begins
- Trump: Pulitzer Prizes on Russia 'Collusion' Should Be Returned, 'They Were All Wrong'
- ‘Schiff Wouldn’t Know the Truth if It Poked Him in One of His Bug Eyes,’ Gen. Flynn’s Attorney Says
- WH: FBI Exists to Investigate Crimes; in Flynn’s Case, It Tried to Manufacture One
That's eight more articles over another two-day span designed to push a pro-Flynn (and, thus, pro-Trump) narrative. This time, though, CNS did actually publish two articles noting that there's an alternate viewpoint:
- Sen. Kamala Harris: Barr Is 'Disrupting Justice in America'
- McCabe: FBI Had 'Incontrovertible Evidence' That Flynn Was a National Security Concern
Still, the bias is clear -- 14 articles pushing one viewpoint vs. two articles noting a different one.
And when the Trump White House began pushing the notion that then President Obama was behind all this, the CNS pro-Trump hype machine roared to life once again, with added Flynn-related content and attacks on the judge who won't immediately drop the Flynn case:
- Flynn's Attorney: 'Absolutely' This Goes All the Way to Obama
- Actor James Woods: #ObamaGate ‘Will be a Footnote to History’ Due to GOP #GutlessBlowhards
- Ken Starr: Barack Obama Has Opened Himself to 'Huge Questions'
- Fmr. Federal Prosecutor: Harvard Law Grad Like Obama Should’ve Known Better than to Make False Flynn Claims
- Levin: ‘What the Hell is this Judge Pulling?!?’ by Allowing Outside Input Before Ruling on DOJ Motion to Drop Flynn Case
- Sen. Graham: 'Did Obama Administration Use Unmasking as a Political Weapon?'
- Trump: ‘How Do You Know Nothing If You Are One of the Unmaskers?’
- Rep. Gaetz: 'Bad News for Joe Biden Ahead'
- Sen. Mike Lee: Obama Administration's Interference With Flynn 'Simply Stunning'
- Sen. Rand Paul: Illegal to Eavesdrop on Someone for Political Purposes
- Sol Wisenberg: Activist Judge Emmet Sullivan Trying to Force Trump to Pardon Gen. Michael Flynn
- McConnell: 'We'll Find Out What Did Happen' in the Flynn Case
- Mark Levin: Here’s What DOJ Must Do to Force Judge Sullivan to Grant Its Motion to Dismiss Flynn Case
That's 13 pro-Flynn (and, thus, pro-Trump) "news" stories between May 11 and 15. By contrast, just four that offer a different viewpoint:
- Biden Says Flynn Case 'Is All About Diverting Attention' From the 'Real Crisis'
- Rep. Schiff: Flynn Case 'Is the President's Effort to Distract'
- Clapper Says He'd Be 'Happy' to Testify--'After I've Been Vaccinated for COVID-19'
- Clapper Doesn't Remember Why He Made the Unmasking Requests: 'It's a Routine Thing'
So, to sum up: Between April 30 and May 15, CNS published 33 articles related to the Flynn case, only six of which didn't push pro-Flynn (and, thus, pro-Trump) narratives. That would seemm to be a violation of its mission statement that it "endeavors to fairly present all legitimate sides of a story."
To whom does one complain at CNS about this violation?
