CNN Blasts Fox News Over Piece on Reporter’s Old Tweets: ‘This Is a Nothing Story’

“While this might seem like an exotic concept to you, we’d headline it ‘Media Reporter Does Job,'” CNN says

CNN hit back on Friday after Fox News published a piece mocking one of their reporters, Oliver Darcy, over past statements he made that were critical of the cable news channel before he was hired there.

“Oliver was critical of CNN before, just as he is now. CNN is a place where opinions and ideas are valued. And we encourage staff to share their thoughts about the organization — both positive and critical,” CNN said in a statement obtained by TheWrap. “While this might seem like an exotic concept to you, we’d headline it ‘Media Reporter Does Job.’ This is a nothing story.”

The piece, by Fox News reporter Brian Flood, a former writer for TheWrap, took Darcy to task for some tweets, which, in isolation, appeared highly critical of the channel. Some were more nuanced, when considered in the context of the full thread.

A selection of those tweets can be found below — many were critical of CNN primetime stalwart Don Lemon.

Reps for Fox News have so far not responded with a statement of their own.

Before joining CNN’s media team, Darcy came up through the ranks of conservative media. He previously worked as a deputy managing editor at Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze and before that was a co-founder of the conservative university watchdog “Campus Reform.” The website’s other co-founder happens to be another current CNN senior producer, Josiah Ryan.

Many of Darcy’s most critical posts toward CNN come from that period of his reporting career.

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