CNN’s Brian Stelter Wants 10-Minute Delay on Trump Events: Why ‘Carry His Lies Live?’

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 09: Brian Stelter attends the 12th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for CNN
Justin Caruso

CNN media reporter Brian Stelter promoted the idea of TV networks filtering President Trump’s live events Thursday, suggesting producers use a 10-minute delay and edit out parts where Trump tells “lies.”

“Trump is the mis-leader in chief – spreading falsehoods every single day – so why should TV networks carry his lies live? A reader suggests a ’10 minute delay,'” Brian Stelter said in a tweet Friday morning.

Attached to the tweet was a screenshot from his Thursday “Reliable Sources” newsletter, in which he reprinted an email from a reader who suggested that networks should, “Record the press scrum, then edit it down to salient points (if any), or just report that the POTUS went off half-cocked (again) with B.S. & lies.”

Stelter also wrote in his newsletter:

When should Trump events be shown live?

Katie Pellico emails: While CNN and Fox News kept Trump’s surprise trip to the podium running live, MSNBC cut away. Nicolle Wallace‘s show explained in a tweet, “If the President makes a new announcement or takes questions, we will return to the briefing.” He didn’t.

So which cable channel had the right approach? This has been an issue ever since inauguration weekend, when Sean Spicer came to the briefing room and condemned the press corps. CNN didn’t carry his rant live that day. Oliver Darcy will have more on this issue on Friday…

Nowhere in the newsletter did Stelter reflect upon the possibility that having such a power over what is a “lie” or not could be abused, nor did he seem to realize that censoring the president’s words could impugn news outlets’ duty to actually report the news, which the president’s words certainly are.

Ironically enough, airing President Trump’s “lies” may be the main thing helping CNN’s ratings (though they still lag far behind their two major competitors).

During an event at the National Press Club in October, longtime television reporter Ted Koppel told Stelter that his network’s ratings “would be in the toilet without Donald Trump.”

“The ratings are up–it means you can’t do without Donald Trump, you would be lost without Donald Trump,” Koppel also said.

Stelter objected, saying in part, “You know that’s not true, you’re playing for laughs.”

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