Thursday, Breitbart News published a story pointing out that CNN’s Chris Cuomo had made some basic errors in an interview with David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress. Those errors led other journalists to reach the wrong conclusion about Daleiden, with one outlet posting a video and story claiming he’d admitted “Fiorina was wrong.”
Friday, Cuomo responded angrily on Twitter to suggestions he was responsible for the confusion, claiming discussion of his interview was an attempt by “rabid righties” to distract from the school shooting.
No irony that the rabid righties distract doing school shooting…with deception abt a favored topic. Sad but true https://t.co/7x1jYKTr8o
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) October 2, 2015
Are there any adults at @cnn? They may want to read this: http://t.co/TfLCbLx0XF
And then look at this: https://t.co/UBv8Rs5Oni
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
.@verumserum enjoy the attn: focus is the shooting. distraction is hollow charge I was wrong abt the still born images from ur pal deleiden
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) October 2, 2015
@ChrisCuomo Why don't you clean up the confusion your interview created before moving on to something else.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
For the record, Daleiden is not my pal. I’ve never met him or spoken to him. I contacted him for a quote about the Cuomo interview, but he didn’t respond. As for the rest of Cuomo’s claims, they’re all false in every detail.
@ChrisCuomo Well, Chris, it wasn't stillborn. And it wasn't what Fiorina was referring to as you claimed. But other than that…
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
@ChrisCuomo Also, after the mom learned he used the photo she granted him permission because she's pro-life. You missed that too.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
Cuomo continued to claim, incorrectly, that the image was of a “stillborn” and it’s still not clear he realizes that’s not the image Fiorina was talking about:
@verumserum deleiden created confusion using provocative stillborn images to exploit abortion procedures. U don't like that. But it's true
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) October 2, 2015
@ChrisCuomo The video he used, the one Fiorina referenced, was not a stillborn, it was an abortion. And the video was clearly labeled.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
@ChrisCuomo And again, the other image of Walter Fretz was not "stillborn." He was born alive and died minutes later.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
The fact that the baby in the image Cuomo is referring to was not stillborn was reported nearly two years ago by the Daily Mail:
Walter Joshua Fretz was born at 9:42pm. ‘I was crying so hard at this point but he was perfect. He was fully formed and everything was there, I could see his heart beating in his tiny chest,’ wrote Fretz…I held him, cuddled him, while his heart was beating I held him to my heart, I counted his toes and kissed his tiny head. I will always cherish those memories that I have of him.’
She said in intv she was ok with it but wasn't asked. It is a still born. Not an aborted fetus. U can't avoid that https://t.co/2WLPYCBbRO
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) October 2, 2015
@ChrisCuomo It was a miscarriage. Stillborn means it was born dead and it was not: https://t.co/c2qUNBcpOZ
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
At some point, Cuomo’s tone started to shift:
@verumserum by the way, u r invited to my get together with nolte. My treat.
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) October 2, 2015
@ChrisCuomo Appreciate the offer but I'm in CA, so a bit of a hike.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
I tried to get back to the main issue:
@ChrisCuomo Main point here is that the image you keep talking about is not the one Fiorina mentioned. You really did confuse people.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
@ChrisCuomo Look at this false story based solely on your interview: http://t.co/X2UPDkNF8s
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
@ChrisCuomo Look at this ABC reporter's retraction caused by confusion over your interview: https://t.co/NujFTR7wpy
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
Finally, the question that should have been asked by someone before the interview took place:
@verumserum her campaign doesn't say which it is, do they? Both videos are of still born. Own that. If I did that you would write a book
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) October 2, 2015
@ChrisCuomo Only one video matches her description from the debate. And that video is of an abortion according to people who shot it.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
@ChrisCuomo Here is the full video from which the 10 second clip was taken. It was released earlier this week: http://t.co/KJ8YLqGJN9
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
And once more I tried to correct this:
@ChrisCuomo Neither the video nor the photo of Walter Fretz shows a stillborn. One was an abortion, the other a miscarriage.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) October 2, 2015
The story about Cuomo’s interview was written for one reason. He was clearly confused about the facts, which helped to confuse other journalists and, at this point, probably tens of thousands of news readers.
Rather than clarify the facts during the interview or after, Cuomo attacked the motives of anyone who pointed out the errors. The ABC reporter, Ali Weinberg, who initially got this wrong corrected herself. Why hasn’t Chris Cuomo done the same? Why hasn’t CNN asked him to do so?
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