Ex-CNN host Chris Cuomo criticized his former network for its reporting on the U.S. military strike against Iranian nuclear sites, saying it was playing into the “propaganda game” and trying to compete with creators who “sell hysteria for profit.”
Cuomo made his comment on his NewsNation show “Cuomo” on Wednesday night while talking to ex-Fox News star Bill O’Reilly about how the media has covered “Operation Midnight Hammer” this week.
“I think that it’s trying too hard to compete with these pod bros and people who sell hysteria for profit,” Cuomo said about CNN. “And we should just stick to what we do best, because in truth, podcasts have their place, don’t get me wrong.”
He added he loves having a podcast, but most “don’t have any of the assets or capabilities of getting things right or reporting or investigating the way real news agencies do. We just too often get caught in the propaganda game.”
His criticism comes after CNN reporter Natasha Bertrand published a story earlier this week calling into question President Trump’s claim the missile strikes “obliterated” key Iranian nuclear sites. The report, which said it was based on an “early U.S. intelligence assessment,” said Iran’s push to develop nuclear weapons had only been set back a few months.
President Trump ripped CNN, as well as The New York Times for a similar report, saying the outlets were “scum.” Other members of the Trump Administration have called the report bogus as well, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who said U.S. intelligence shows the sites had been “destroyed.”
O’Reilly told Cuomo he was also skeptical of CNN’s report as well. He criticized the report for being based on four anonymous sources, and said the primary reason it was published was “to try and diminish the bombing raid.” O’Reilly added CNN is “in business to make Trump look bad.”
Cuomo said he disagreed with O’Reilly on the importance of anonymous sources, saying they were a key aspect of reporting. He added his former outlet was a “great place,” but “when they’re wrong, they’re wrong.”
Mediaite was the first outlet to pick up the pair’s conversation.
You can watch part of the Cuomo-O’Reilly segment via The Daily Caller’s Jason Cohen below:
