15 August 2021: Cuomo Cheerleader CNN's Chris Cuomo Controversy

We're taking advantage of a relative breather in the ongoing ethical scandals of Andrew M. Cuomo to catch up with the journalism ethics scandals of his hapless brother, Chris Cuomo, and the news network he compromised, CNN. This will be a long timeline entry, spanning the ten days from 5 August 2021 through 15 August 2021.

Chris Cuomo's ethical failure: Why CNN anchor's actions hurt journalists across America

This opinion piece by Kathleen Bartzen Culver appeared in USA Today on 5 August 2021. It explains, simply, why CNN's management failure in allowing Chris Cuomo to influence its coverage and to advise Andrew M. Cuomo on his media strategy harms all journalists.

As details emerged this week that CNN anchor Chris Cuomo assisted in drafting his brother’s response to a sexual harassment scandal, my first thought was about my former students in newsrooms large and small, whose work just got harder.

Cuomo was more involved in crisis communication strategy for his brother — one of the most powerful Democrats in the country — than previously disclosed.

What happens to him at CNN is less important to me than what happens to all the other journalists whose ethics will be questioned and whose bond of trust with the citizens they serve could be damaged by the choices he made.

When it comes to credibility and trust, people don’t see individual reporters or news organizations. They see “the media.” So when one journalist or outlet makes questionable choices, the tarnish can easily spread to others....

Cuomo squandered his journalistic independence by getting involved in saving his brother’s political career. But he also put a sword in the hands of people who would call journalists “enemies of the people.”

Cuomo is perhaps the most flagrant practicioner of the advocacy, or "narrative"-based school of journalism, which predetermines conclusions then seeks out stories aimed at influencing public debate toward the journalist's predetermined goal, omitting covering other stories that would either contradict or obstruct that goal from being achieved. Originally aimed at potentially putting Andrew M. Cuomo into the White House, CNN under Cuomo's influence turned toward acting as a gatekeeper seeking to keep Cuomo's multiple scandals from blowing up.

Related coverage from the timeline:

• 6 May 2020: Peak Cuomo Arrives
• 21 May 2020: Cuomo Cheerleader CNN's Credibility Enters Rapid Phase of Collapse
• 9 July 2020: CNN's Pro-Cuomo Bias
• 25 June 2020: White House Calls Out Cuomo's Deadly Directive, Cuomo Called Out for Lying About Nursing Home Deaths, CNN Shreds Credibility by Endorsing Governor Cuomo's Policies
• 18 February 2021: CNN Bans Cheerleader Chris Cuomo From Covering Brother Governor Andrew Cuomo
• 22 February 2021: Cuomo Cheerleader CNN "Haunted" by Massive Ethics "Blunder"
• 30 March 2021: CNN's Chris Cuomo Received Extra Special Care from NY DOH Doctor at Taxpayer Expense
• 3 April 2021: "Andrew Cuomo Breaks the News"
• 29 April 2021: CNN AWOL in Reporting Cuomo Cover-up Story
• 12 May 2021: CNN Slammed for Lack of Trustworthy News Coverage
• 21 May 2021: "CNN's Messy Situation" With Cuomo
• 21 May 2021: How CNN's Cuomo Shredded CNN's Credibility
• 24 May 2021: Opinions - CNN's Compromised Integrity and Calls for Chris Cuomo's Firing
• 25 May 2021: CNN's Cuomo Conflict of Interest and Ethics Problems Extend to Top of Network
• 2 June 2021: CNN's Cuomo Exposes Systemic Ethical Failures at Network
• 8 June 2021: What Does CNN Gain from Continuing to Employ Chris Cuomo?
• 12 June 2021: When Will CNN Fix Its Cuomo Integrity Problem?
• 6 August 2021: How Far Does Andrew M. Cuomo's Influence Reach Within CNN?

The longer CNN's managers and editors fail to excise their Cuomo problems, which extend beyond Chris Cuomo to the top of CNN's organization chart, this thread of headlines will probably continue lengthening until ending with headlines like "CNN Fires Chris Cuomo", or ultimately, "The Death of CNN". They've chosen to dig a very deep hole for themselves.

Moving on...

New York Assembly moves forward with Cuomo impeachment inquiry as the governor digs in, refusing to step down

This report appeared in the Washington Post on 10 August 2021. Here's the relevant item featuring CNN's Chris Cuomo, which confirms that the CNN reporter continued advising the scandal-mired Andrew M. Cuomo even after he pledged to stop engaging in the conflict of interest:

Cuomo, who is ensconced in the governor’s mansion in Albany and has not been coming to the office, is left with few advisers. Rich Azzopardi, his longtime spokesman, has said he plans to stay in his post. The governor also continues to confer with longtime adviser Charlie King, a lobbyist at the public strategy firm Mercury, as well as his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, according to people familiar with the situation.

Put a pin in this story, we'll come back to it shortly....

CNN Owes Its Viewers an Apology

This opinion piece appeared in The New Republic on 11 August 2021.

Over the last several months, Chris has served as an informal adviser to his brother as he attempted to hold onto his job and avoid impeachment. A report from New York Attorney General Letitia James found that Chris was advising his brother’s communication strategy and had even drafted a statement indicating that the whole thing was a misunderstanding: “Sometimes I am playful and make jokes,” that draft read, in part. “My only desire is to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.” Andrew Cuomo resigned on Tuesday—while using a similar defense to the one proposed by his brother—but Chris—who is currently (and fortuitously) on vacation—still has a job.

There has been some suggestion that these matters fall under a journalistic gray area. Chris, after all, has not publicly discussed or reported on the allegations against his brother or his decision to resign. He has not misinformed the public, nor has he covered up his involvement with his brother’s defense. (He acknowledged that he had been “looped into calls” back in May, when he apologized and noted that the calls were “inappropriate.”) But there is no “blood is thicker than water” card in journalism; nothing that says that all journalistic ethics go out the window when a family member is involved.

CNN and Chris Cuomo may—and certainly will—suggest that this is a onetime lapse of judgment and that a sense of probity will reassert itself when Chris returns to covering those who are not members of his family. But Chris’s involvement goes beyond incidental brotherly advice. Cuomo reportedly advised his brother to take a “defiant” position in response to the allegations and suggested he use the phrase “cancel culture.” That goes well beyond being “looped into” a few calls. His participation in discussions of how the governor of New York responded to sexual harassment allegations undercuts his ability to adequately cover sexual harassment allegations in politics, full stop. It may very well undercut his ability to cover politics, as well: For as long as he is discussing politics on CNN, the subjects of his scrutiny will be able to throw this sordid episode back in his face, and they will. The charges of journalistic malpractice, moreover, will accrue to CNN’s other anchors and journalists, however unfairly that may be. It is hard to say how the network continues with him, unless it is prepared to exist in a perpetual state of mini-scandal.

Chris Cuomo certainly deserves blame—and, at the very least, a long suspension—for advising his brother. But CNN’s brass, who approved of this corrupt arrangement, deserve the greater share of condemnation. By abandoning its policy of not allowing him to cover his brother last spring, the network created an ethical morass where none previously existed. It gleefully allowed its anchor to lob softballs at his brother because it was good for ratings; as soon as that governor fell in the public’s estimation, he stopped showing up.

None of this was rooted in the interests of journalism or the ethics that underpin the industry; it was a cynical business decision, not that anyone at CNN will simply admit it. It’s hard for the network to punish Chris Cuomo for giving his brother a helping hand and a pat on the back because CNN’s editorial policy for much of 2020 was that giving Andrew Cuomo a helping hand and a pat on the back was good television. But it should never be forgotten that CNN’s profit play helped whitewash Andrew Cuomo’s derelict record on Covid-19 and in his own decrepit professional life. These are the true stories CNN chose to not tell its viewers. It should pay a price for this failure.

We'll point out again that this opinion piece appeared in The New Republic, which is no stranger to journalism scandals.

Chris Cuomo apparently lied to his viewers. Again.

Remember that story we asked you to pin? This 11 August 2021 opinion piece is where it comes back into play....

CNN’s Chris Cuomo told his viewers this year he’d stop advising his brother, disgraced Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to navigate multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

The cable news gremlin that faked the moment he “emerged” from his basement after an alleged battle with COVID-19 apparently lied.

Who would have predicted such a thing?

The Washington Post reports this week: “Cuomo, who is ensconced in the governor’s mansion in Albany and has not been coming to the office, is left with few advisers. Rich Azzopardi, his longtime spokesman, has said he plans to stay in his post. The governor also continues to confer with longtime adviser Charlie King, a lobbyist at the public strategy firm Mercury, as well as his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, according to people familiar with the situation.”

But wait, there's more!

The New York Times confirms the Washington Post’s report: “Chris Cuomo has regularly spoken with Governor Cuomo by telephone over the past week and advised his brother to resign, said two people who requested anonymity to describe sensitive private conversations.”

By the way, this isn’t the first time that it has been reported that the cable news anchor, who hosted the New York governor for a half-dozen glow-up interviews during the height of the coronavirus pandemic last year, has been advising New York’s disgraced governor behind the scenes.

That confirmation may have sealed both Chris Cuomo's fate at CNN, and perhaps the network's if it fails to act on it.

Now, what effect has all this information coming out since Andrew M. Cuomo's resignation had on CNN's viewership, particularly for its Prime Time newscast hosted by Chris Cuomo?

Women rejecting CNN's Chris Cuomo after Gov brother's resignation over sexual harassment

This report appeared in The Hill on 12 August 2021.

Women are reportedly tuning out CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time,” the network’s flagship show with Chris Cuomo, after the New York Attorney General released a report that found the anchor’s brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, sexually harassed at least 11 women.

It was before Chris went on his birthday trip, departing from his show last week, Tuesday through Friday, that there was a significant drop in female viewership, The Wrap reported. At the same time, Attorney General Letitia James announced the details of the report and the New York governor’s history of misconduct that Tuesday morning.

“Cuomo Prime Time” averaged 453,000 female viewers last week, with only 76,000 in the coveted demographic age of 25 and 54 for advertisements, according to Nielsen Media Research and The Wrap.

That is a 21 percent decrease from his second-quarter average of 570,000. In that age demographic, it’s a 41 percent decrease from his second-quarter average of 128,000, Wrap Up reported.

In a year to date comparison, female viewers dropped by 45 percent -- 61 percent of those viewers being in key demographics.

The report suggests "Chris Cuomo is taking backlash for something his brother did", but does not consider that Chris Cuomo has been enmeshed in the things his brother did for months, including providing advice for how to escape facing consequences for his acts, particularly with the media.

Unless CNN's managers and editors make a decision to the contrary, Chris Cuomo will return to host CNN's Prime Time broadcast on Monday, 16 August 2021.

12 May 2021: CNN Slammed for Lack of Trustworthy News Coverage

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo benefited from cheerleading news coverage provided by CNN, the broadcast news network that prominently features his brother, Chris Cuomo, as a presenter. These two articles appeared on 12 May 2021, both report CNN's reputation and trustworthiness have been harmed by its heavily biased coverage.

The new CNN is more opinionated and emotional. Can it still be ‘the most trusted name in news’?

The first article appears in the Washington Post, which shares many of CNN's editorial biases, but which questions CNN's management, editors, and journalists choices to integrate its editiorial biases throughout its broadcast news coverage. The following excerpt picks up from examples of CNN president Jeff Zucker's policy of encouraging journalists to become emotional and share their personal biases while covering stories on-air.

Yet to some ears, and during some stories, CNN’s new emotional rawness can sound like bias at a network that built its reputation on studiously neutral impartiality. “For tens of millions of our fellow Americans,” Tapper intoned after CNN called the election for Biden, “their long, national nightmare is over.” Awaiting the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial last month, host Don Lemon confessed that “I’m anxious about it. . . . We shall see what the value of a black life is.” When the Minneapolis police officer was convicted in the death of George Floyd, Lemon proclaimed, “justice has been served.”

And prioritizing personal connections to current events can backfire. Chris Cuomo — who has exemplified the New CNN as much as any on-air personality — won over many viewers early last year when he both chronicled his own battle with covid-19 and hailed the public-health efforts of his brother, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, in regular segments where the two would banter cutely about their childhood. That decision put CNN in an uncomfortable position when the New York Democrat became mired in scandal — allegations that he sexually harassed women and that his administration concealed the number of covid deaths in the state’s nursing homes — and the network decided that one of its primetime stars is now too conflicted to discuss one of the biggest political stories in the country.

The article provides background into its cheerleading coverage of Governor Andrew Cuomo and its obvious, inherent conflicts of interest in doing so:

Cuomo, who worked as a traditional correspondent for ABC News, came to CNN in 2013 as a traditional morning news co-anchor — until 2018, when the network gave him his own show in the more opinionated prime-time hours and let him run wild. As he began gleefully skewering both Democrats and Republicans, network management put one key restriction on him: that he not cover his governor brother because of the inherent conflict of interest.

But CNN dropped the policy during the early weeks of the pandemic, arguing that his conversations with Gov. Cuomo were “of significant human interest.”

So when Cuomo explained a year later that he couldn’t interview his brother about the allegations lobbed against him, some network critics saw a double standard at play. “Why is this different from spring/summer of last year?” Mary Katharine Ham, a right-leaning CNN contributor, asked on Twitter.

Cuomo, meanwhile, also has drawn criticism for his other way of personalizing the pandemic. Some raised questions about the timeline of his covid-19 recovery, which the host commemorated with a live-TV emergence from the basement where he had been in quarantine. And after The Washington Post and other news organizations reported that his brother’s administration arranged for the newsman to get preferential diagnostic treatment, critics accused CNN of dismissing or downplaying the story.

Andrew Cuomo remains governor of New York, despite myriad calls for his resignation, which means that CNN will probably continue facing criticism for ignoring the controversy during a key evening hour. But viewers don’t seem to mind: During the first three months of this year, “Cuomo Primetime” was the most-watched show on cable news among the 25-to-54 demographic coveted by advertisers.

The ratings of its Cuomo Prime Time broadcast during the first three months of 2021 are a strange thing to highlight, because the period from 28 January 2021 through the end of March 2021 mark the period in which Governor Cuomo's attempted cover-up of the full extent of COVID nursing home deaths among New York nursing home residents collapsed, which coincides with the exposure of a number of other scandals involving Governor Cuomo alleged misconduct in office that have received high media attention.

By the end of April, CNN became notable for absence of coverage of Governor Cuomo's scandals, including those that involve CNN's Chris Cuomo.

Brian Stelter boasts CNN's coverage of Cuomo despite network's history of skipping, downplaying scandals

This second article comes from another broadcast news outlet, Fox News, which has been reporting on the major news stories involving Governor Cuomo and his multiple scandals that CNN is choosing to avoid presenting in its on-air broadcasts.

CNN's leftwing media guru Brian Stelter made the bold argument that his network's coverage of Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is something to be proud of.

Speaking at PolitiFact's "virtual festival of fact-checking" on Monday, Stelter was asked about how networks like CNN can improve on being "objective" and seek a "balance in fairness" in its coverage.

Stelter responded in part by boasting CNN's reporting on the embattled governor.

"When the New York governor is embroiled in multiple scandals, CNN can't ignore it. And thankfully we haven't of course," Stelter said. "And there's been great work by [Jake] Tapper and Brianna [Keilar] and by New York Bureau correspondents work over there, you know, but that kind of news coverage, I think, is seen by viewers as a sign that we are playing it straight, and that we are being fair. And I would like to believe that every day, when we wake up, when we work in these newsrooms we work for these organizations, we can either win a little bit of trust or we can lose a little bit of trust.

He continued, "I do believe that in lots of small ways every day, journalists are winning trust back. It’s hard to measure, and it’s never going to be as newsworthy as big screw-ups or anonymous source failures, but I do think it’s happening every day in small ways."

That boast doesn't jibe with the actual content of CNN's news coverage in recent months:

What Stelter didn't mention at PolitiFact's "virtual festival of fact-checking" is the fact that CNN's coverage of Cuomo's scandals ranges from minimal to non-existent.

For example, CNN has avoided the latest developments of the governor's political woes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the New York Attorney General's investigation has expanded to include allegations that the Cuomo administration was threatening to withhold the coronavirus vaccine from various counties if the governor didn't receive their support amid calls for his resignation.

CNN's poorly-watched morning show "New Day" was the only program on the entire network to acknowledge a damning report from The New York Times that detailed the Cuomo administration's effort to deliberately block the release of data on COVID nursing home deaths, which the paper tied to the release of the governor's memoir "American Crisis." The book, which came out in October 2020, prematurely touted the Democrat's "leadership" during the early months of the pandemic.

Last month, CNN went an entire week avoiding three separate controversies that emerged within days of one another, including a ninth woman who accused the governor of sexual misconduct, allegations that the Cuomo administration misappropriated government resources including his staff to work on his memoir, and how he prioritized COVID testing in the early months of the pandemic for members of his family, including his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo.

Chris Cuomo, host of "Cuomo Prime Time," told his viewers that he "obviously" cannot cover his brother's scandals as they emerged earlier this year despite how he famously invited the Democratic governor onto his show nearly a dozen times for chummy interviews and even to perform prop comedy.

However, even if "Cuomo Prime Time" isn't supposed to cover the governor, CNN's other primetime shows "Anderson Cooper 360" and "CNN Tonight with Don Lemon" have offered little to no coverage of the various scandals.

CNN spent much of 2020 hailing Gov. Cuomo's response to the pandemic and offered minimal coverage of the brewing nursing home scandal that began last spring.

Follow this link to find more of the timeline's coverage of CNN's collapse in credibility and trustworthiness.

29 April 2021: CNN AWOL in Reporting Cuomo Cover-up Story

Yesterday, one of the bigger stories confirming the Cuomo administration's cover-up of the full extent of COVID deaths among NY nursing home residents began in April 2020 was reported by major news organizations across the U.S. But if you rely on Cuomo cheerleader CNN's broadcast coverage, you may still be in the dark about the latest evidence documenting the extent of the Cuomo administration's cover-up. Here are a couple of articles detailing CNN's lack of coverage on 28 April 2021:

CNN's Jake Tapper retweets latest Cuomo bombshell but avoids mentioning it on his two-hour program

CNN anchor Jake Tapper continued his bizarre practice of acknowledging unflattering stories about Democrats on social media while not giving them airtime on his own program, the latest example being the bombshell New York Times report about Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Tapper, who is widely regarded as CNN's most serious news anchor, retweeted the explosive report to his 3 million Twitter followers on Wednesday after it was shared by Times deputy managing editor Cliff Levy....

However, despite having been given a second hour of programming as part of CNN's revamped lineup, "The Lead" anchor avoided the growing Cuomo controversy and spent much of his two hours on-air on the FBI raid of Trump ally Rudy Giuliani and hyping President Biden's joint address to Congress.

Glenn Greenwald hammers CNN's glowing coverage of Cuomo amid latest bombshell in nursing home

Glenn Greenwald took aim at CNN's glowing pandemic coverage of Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo amid the latest developments in the nursing home scandal....

"Andrew Cuomo was hiding death counts in nursing homes and defrauding the public at far greater levels than previously known, at the same time that CNN was putting him on air to be heralded as a great and inspiring leader by his own brother, a CNN host," Greenwald tweeted, alluding to the series of interviews "Cuomo Prime Time" anchor Chris Cuomo held with the governor before he was swept in controversy.

"CNN's host not only aided his brother, the Governor, defraud the public by abusing CNN's airwaves to [propagandize] for him, but Chris Cuomo himself is at the center of a scandal: his brother abused state resource to give him special COVID treatment," Greenwald explained.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist continued, "CNN has refused to cover the scandal involving Gov. Cuomo's misuse of state funds to direct special treatment to his brother, their host, at the expense of needier sick people. To the contrary, they *defended* it. How come people don't trust the media? Why does nobody watch CNN?"

Follow this link to see where CNN's journalism conflict of interest issues has recurred throughout the Cuomo nursing home deaths scandal timeline.

But wait, there's more!

30 April 2021: Jake Tapper goes two days without mention of Cuomo bombshell on CNN show despite acknowledgement on Twitter

This report suggests that CNN's managers and editors are choosing to either block or minimize coverage of the New York Times' long overdue confirmation the Cuomo administration's cover-up of nursing home deaths began in April 2020, months before the U.S. Department of Justice first requested information and data about those deaths. That's significant because major broadcast news outlets, including CNN, almost always follow the New York Times' lead in setting their own news coverage. So much so that whenever there is a deviation from that practice among these outlets, it is notable. In CNN's case, it demonstrates the extent to which their "journalism" has become ethically compromised.

But wait, there's still more!

1 May 2021: CNN's Jake Tapper keeps up Cuomo blackout on air while repeatedly tweeting about nursing home scandal

We didn't think this story would continue for a third day. What on earth are CNN's managers and editors thinking?

30 November 2021: Journalists' Knives Come Out for Chris Cuomo

We're seeing a rather amazing development among professional journalists following the release of CNN's Prime Time broadcast presenter Chris Cuomo's testimony confirming his very active role in assisting his brother, resigned-in-disgrace Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, as he faced allegations of sexually harassing multiple women.

CNN Says It Will Review Texts And Testimony Shedding New Light On Role Chris Cuomo Played In Assisting Brother Andrew Cuomo’s Team

This first excerpt reveals that "journalist" Chris Cuomo failed to acknowledge any aspect of the release of transcripts involving his role in Andrew M. Cuomo's efforts to acquire knowledge about which women would come forward to accuse Cuomo of sexually harassing them.

Chris Cuomo did not address the new trove of documents released by New York’s attorney general showing the extent to which he advised his brother Andrew Cuomo’s team on how to respond to sexual harassment allegations against him.

As for his employer, which famously does not maintain standards of conduct for its "star" journalists:

CNN to Seek 'Additional Clarity' About Significance of Chris Cuomo Documents

Here's the overview:

CNN says it will be “having conversations” about documents revealing new details about Chris Cuomo’s attempts to help his brother.

The network issued a statement following a report released by the New York attorney general surrounding Chris Cuomo’s request to help with former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) defense against allegations of sexual harassment.

“The thousands of pages of additional transcripts and exhibits that were released today by the NY Attorney General deserve a thorough review and consideration,” the network said.

The statement continued, “We will be having conversations and seeking additional clarity about their significance as they relate to CNN over the next several days.”

Translation: CNN's managers and editors are waiting to see how their peers at other media organizations react before they might take any action, but would really not like to have to take any.

The media reaction is pouring in fast and furious. Here's a sampling of headlines:

• Chris Cuomo Must Go
• Joe Concha rips CNN over Chris Cuomo controversy: He shouldn't 'sniff a microphone' until investigation is complete
• Chris Cuomo crisis: How much did he help his brother? Will CNN keep him on the air?
• BOMBSHELL: CNN's Chris Cuomo used MEDIA SOURCES to help brother Andrew navigate assault allegations
• CNN's dead man walking? Chris Cuomo's aid to embattled brother might end his anchor job
• HOW DOES CHRIS CUOMO STILL HAVE A JOB?
• Should Chris Cuomo Resign? RealClearPolitics Takeaway Nov 30
• It’s Time for CNN to Can Chris Cuomo for Being Completely Full of Crap
• ‘The View’ Hosts Say CNN’s Chris Cuomo Should Face Consequences for ‘Massive Ethical Breach’
• Gingrich on CNN's Chris Cuomo helping brother amid scandals: He 'has got to go' after lying to viewers
• Cuomo accuser Lindsey Boylan rips his bro Chris and Brian Stelter for ‘abuses of power’
• CNN's Chris Cuomo has forfeited all legitimacy as a journalist
• Chris Cuomo Violated Journalism Norms To Help His Brother and Should Resign From CNN
• Everyone in Media Thinks Cuomo Should Be Fired. CNN Isn’t Sure.
• ‘How does he still have a job?’ CNN staff sounds off as Chris Cuomo defies ban, talks bro on SiriusXM show

But wait, that's not all. The Poynter Institute also weighs in, collecting numerous other reactions from professional journalists:

Chris Cuomo helped his brother more than we knew. What will CNN do about it?

Here's an extended excerpt capturing their roundup of reactions:

Rolling Stone editor-in-chief Noah Shachtman tweeted, “If this story is accurate, it describes a series of shocking ethical breaches — fireable offenses at any other news outlet.”

Daily Beast media reporter Justin Baragona tweeted, “One would think that a network would look to rid itself of someone who was leaning on media sources to dig up dirt on women accusing his brother of sexual misconduct. One would think.”

The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple tweeted, “And this is why @CNN should have conducted an internal investigation of all @chriscuomo actions vis-a-vis his brother’s scandals. That should have happened months ago.”

And, most damning, in a piece for The Atlantic, David A. Graham wrote, “He should resign; if he doesn’t, CNN should sack him.”

Graham argues that Chris could have either stepped away from his CNN job to advise his brother, or distanced himself from his brother during the controversy. But, Chris tried to have it both ways.

Graham writes, “By keeping Cuomo on the air and in his job, CNN would send the message that journalistic ethics are only for the little people and viewers are on their own. Cuomo should take some time off and reflect on his chosen profession — and if and when he comes back, perhaps he should choose a new beat. ”

Remember when CNN billed itself as "The Most Trusted Name in News?" We're not sure why the news organization's managers and editors would choose to shred their journalistic reputation by allowing Andrew M. Cuomo's influence network to embed itself within their organization, but shred it they have. The sheer amount of housecleaning it will take to salvage a viable news network from the Chris Cuomo wreckage will be impressive if and when it takes place.

7 December 2021: Ethically Challenged Chris Cuomo Still Bottoming

We've often described any story involving the ethically-challenged and recently fired CNN "journalist" Chris Cuomo as "the bottom story of the day". There are so many of those stories today that we've gathered them into this timeline entry....

CNN Won’t Pay Chris Cuomo Severance; HarperCollins Pulls Former Anchor’s Coming Book

Chris Cuomo's bad day began with this report. Imagine being fired from your $6 million per year job for cause and not getting severance pay:

Chris Cuomo won’t get severance from CNN and lost a publishing deal for a coming book, the latest fallout from the former CNN anchor’s involvement in helping his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, respond to allegations of sexual harassment.

During a virtual town-hall meeting with employees on Tuesday, CNN President Jeff Zucker said the network won’t pay Mr. Cuomo a severance, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Zucker also said he wished Chris Cuomo had taken a leave of absence in May when allegations that he participated in strategy sessions with his brother first surfaced.

Since this excerpt hints at the next headline, let's get to it:

Chris Cuomo’s book canceled by HarperCollins

HarperCollins Publishers has dropped plans to release a book by Chris Cuomo amid the controversy that led to his firing by CNN, The Post has learned.

A spokesperson for the company’s Custom House imprint confirmed the decision Tuesday following a report that a listing for the planned hardcover was recently removed from the Amazon website.

“I can confirm that we don’t intend to publish the book,” spokesperson Kelly Rudolph told The Post.

Rudolph declined to elaborate.

But a publishing-industry source said: “This is why contracts have a morals clause. He lost his platform and his credibility.”

The source noted, however, that the canceled book deal “will probably help” Cuomo if he sues CNN over his firing, “since it really cost him materially.”

Cuomo’s planned book, “Deep Denial,” was initially set for release in October but had its publication date pushed back to Jan. 11 and then to Oct. 15, according to the Publishers Marketplace website, which reported on its disappearance from Amazon.

Meanwhile, some additional information suggests Cuomo's announced resignation from his SiriusXM radio gig may not have been his idea:

Chris Cuomo forced out of SiriusXM after sexual misconduct claim, CNN firing: sources

Here's an excerpt:

Fired CNN host Chris Cuomo announced Monday that he quit his SiriusXM radio show — with a source saying he was forced out of the side gig after a former female colleague at ABC News accused him of sexual misconduct.

Cuomo “really wanted” to stay on SiriusXM but was told he needed to leave, sources said....

A source familiar with the matter said of Cuomo, “He was asked to resign, which he did.”

Another source said Cuomo — who continued hosting his “Let’s Get After It” radio program after CNN fired him on Tuesday — “really wanted to keep his SiriusXM show.

At what point, if any, will he realize he never earned nor was entitled to any of the privileges he was granted?

Finally, Cuomo's former boss at CNN had some choice things to say about the situation Cuomo created:

Jeff Zucker tells CNN staff he wishes he'd taken action on Cuomo sooner but he's comfortable with end result

Keep in mind that the CNN insiders are describing a leadership failure at CNN:

CNN President Jeff Zucker addressed Chris Cuomo’s stunning firing in a town hall with staffers Tuesday, saying he was at peace with the result but may have in hindsight taken action sooner.

According to a CNN insider, Zucker said it was easy to criticize CNN’s handling of the situation, but he was "comfortable" with the end result.

CNN fired Cuomo on Saturday after a brief suspension, following reports that his involvement with his brother Andrew Cuomo’s political defense against sexual harassment allegations was far more extensive than previously known.

"Yes, in hindsight he may have taken action sooner but result he’s comfortable with," an insider told Fox News Digital about Zucker’s words to CNN staff....

A CNN source told Fox News Digital this week that the network had done the right thing with Cuomo and there was "universal relief" over his dismissal inside the company.

"That’s separate from liking Chris or not liking Chris – it’s people feeling that there was a right thing to do, and it was done," the insider said.

Many more heads need to roll at CNN. The news network's problems are much bigger than the outsized ego of its former top-rated performer.

5 December 2021: What Are the "New Allegations" Involving Chris Cuomo?

CNN Fires Chris Cuomo After New Details on Help He Gave His Brother

Although nearly all of the Cuomo-related scandals have occurred in its proverbial backyard, the New York Times has largely been missing in action when it comes to breaking serious news about them. Except for stories related to sexual harassment, which the newspaper prizes and prioritizes above all others.

That's why the following blurb caught our attention when the Grey Lady reported on the firing of the hapless and ethically-challenged Chris Cuomo, which provides the first reporting on what "new allegations" contributed to his dismissal from CNN.

On Wednesday, Debra S. Katz, a prominent employment lawyer, informed CNN of a client with an allegation of sexual misconduct against Chris Cuomo. Ms. Katz said in a statement on Saturday that the allegation against the anchor, which was made by a former junior colleague at another network, was “unrelated to the Gov. Andrew Cuomo matter.”

It was not fully clear what role the allegation played in CNN’s decision to dismiss Mr. Cuomo. Ms. Katz is also the lawyer for Charlotte Bennett, a onetime aide to Andrew Cuomo who accused the former governor in February of sexual harassment.

Asked about the new allegation, a CNN spokeswoman said in a statement on Saturday night: “Based on the report we received regarding Chris’s conduct with his brother’s defense, we had cause to terminate. When new allegations came to us this week, we took them seriously, and saw no reason to delay taking immediate action.”...

Ms. Katz said that her client “came forward because she was disgusted by Chris Cuomo’s on-air statements in response to the allegations made against his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo.” Ms. Katz cited a March 1 broadcast in which Chris Cuomo said: “I have always cared very deeply about these issues, and profoundly so. I just wanted to tell you that.”

For his part, Chris Cuomo denied the allegation through his public relations spokesman:

Chris Cuomo Spokesman Refutes 'Anonymous' Allegations After CNN Firing

Here is what Cuomo's spokesman, Steven Goldberg, is reported to have told the New York Times.

"These apparently anonymous allegations are not true," the spokesperson said, according to The New York Times. "To the extent that they were sent to CNN to negate what Chris Cuomo told his audience, he fully stands by his on-air statements about his connections to these issues, both professionally and in a profound personal way. If the goal in making these false and unvetted accusations was to see Mr. Cuomo punished by CNN, that may explain his unwarranted termination."

We're relying on Newsweek's coverage for this portion of the story because the New York Times only referenced the first sentence of the spokesman's statement in its coverage.

Finally, CNN's on-air spokesman issued a statement:

CNN's Brian Stelter on Chris Cuomo firing: He caused 'so many headaches' for CNN, staffers were 'very unhappy'

The following statement is significant because Stelter had previously indicated Cuomo's "indefinite suspension" could end with Cuomo returning to CNN's airwaves in January 2022:

"Chris Cuomo, one of the most popular anchors at CNN, one of the best-known names in television news, violated journalistic ethics and norms not once or twice, but many times and that’s ultimately what is the result of today’s news, Jim," Stelter told CNN weekend anchor Jim Acosta. "What we didn’t know until tonight, Jim, is that an outside law firm came in and went through the thousands of pages of text messages and sworn testimony that was released back on Monday. So there was clearly something in those documents that was found to be a serious breach of standards and practices."

The "Reliable Sources" host dinged Cuomo for "acting like an unpaid staffer" for his brother based on the documents released by the AG despite how "it was known months ago" that the anchor was helping the governor.

Stelter told Acosta he has "no answers" as to the "additional information" CNN had learned as part of its investigation and when it would ever be made public.

"I think this may be a situation where it was death by a thousand cuts, where there were just so many headaches time and time again involving Chris Cuomo that even though many viewers loved ‘Cuomo Prime Time,’ looked forward to his show, he was causing so many headaches for the network and for CNN staffers that ultimately this decision was reached," Stelter said. "I do think, you know, this is a moment where journalistic ethics are at play. I know there were many CNN staffers very unhappy with the situation, very frustrated by Chris Cuomo. At the same time, Jim, I was hearing from some fans of Chris, some viewers who said we understood he was looking out for his family."

"This was always a very complicated situation. But I think the text messages and the documents this week, showing very deeply involved, very cozy with the governor's office, very improperly working with the aides, that was ultimately why this was announced tonight," Stelter added.

This marked a sharply different tone from CNN's media correspondent, who previously defended Cuomo and downplayed the journalistic ethics violations.

We stand by our assessment that the conflict of interest issues go far beyond Cuomo at CNN, where more heads need to roll as part of a full housecleaning at the news network to repair its damaged journalistic reputation. We think Stelter's ouster will be required as part of that much needed housecleaning.

But now that Cuomo's been fired, what will Cuomo do? The next report indicates Cuomo feels he was betrayed by CNN after having been given so much leeway:

Cuomo ‘Livid’ After Shock Firing by CNN

This report is from the Daily Beast.

Cuomo is “livid” at his termination and in talks with lawyers, a person familiar with the matter told The Daily Beast.

The Daily Beast didn't provide any information on what steps Cuomo might take against CNN beyond that in its report on Cuomo's firing. They did however include this following excerpt as part of their original reporting:

A source familiar with the matter told The Daily Beast the relationship between the cable network and the host became unsustainable for the long term, as it was problem after problem with Cuomo. In light of the falling out, Cuomo has retained public relations expert Ronn Torossian.

One CNN insider told The Daily Beast, “Finally. Chris was a toxic and distracting presence. The network did the right thing.”

How long do you suppose before the younger Cuomo goes onto Andrew M. Cuomo's campaign payroll? It occurs to us that giving family members "jobs" in the campaign organization would be one way to transfer a good part of the $18+ million it has it its bank account to the bank accounts of insiders like Chris Cuomo. That's money that could pay for a lot of legal bills.

24 May 2021: Opinions - CNN's Compromised Integrity and Calls for Chris Cuomo's Firing

WaPo's Bacon Jr: 'Going to be hard' for CNN to criticize Chris Cuomo now after allowing interviews

Thanks to its cheerleader coverage of Governor Cuomo combined with its relative non-coverage of his scandals, CNN has become the most ethically compromised name in news. That outcome isn't lost on outside observers of the network's editorial policies and its odd decision to neither discipline nor fire Chris Cuomo for his role in shaping Governor Cuomo's scandal response:

Washington Post columnist Perry Bacon Jr. told "Reliable Sources" host Brian Stelter on Sunday that CNN is going to have "a hard time" criticizing or suspending host Chris Cuomo after allowing him to interview his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, without grilling him on his nursing home scandal.

Recent reports have revealed that the CNN host also gave the embattled governor off-air advice on how to handle his string of sexual harassment allegations.

CNN admitted Friday that Chris Cuomo participated in strategy sessions for his brother on how to handle the allegations against him. In a statement, the network said, "It was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor's staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward."

Pay close attention to the wording used by CNN's spokesperson, which we've highlighted with bolface font in the quotation. CNN's managers and editors have greenlit Chris Cuomo's continued communication with Governor Cuomo, including joint conversations with persons who are not members of the Governor's staff, which would presumably include his legal team and members of the governor's political organization. All of whom would be able to share information Chris Cuomo might communicate in these discussions with members of Governor Cuomo's staff.

What exactly are CNN's managers and editors gaining from allowing Chris Cuomo to continue his employment with the network in this arrangement?

The longer this arrangement continues, the greater the need will be for a full housecleaning at CNN.

Editorial: CNN needs to can Chris Cuomo

How would a serious news outlet handle Chris Cuomo's pervasive ethical conflicts of interest and misconduct? The editors of the Boston Herald have a recommendation:

CNN needs to do the right thing and can Cuomo. They’ve already waited too long.

Without being too preachy ourselves, reporting the news takes skill, effort, sources, brevity and ethics. All of us in the industry suffer when one member, especially a notable one, crosses the line. Chris Cuomo must have known the moment he was on the phone with his brother’s handlers that he had sinned.

How can he ever stand before a journalism class and pretend to be a journalist?

And how can CNN say Chris Cuomo isn’t an influence, to some degree, in the hallways and the network newsroom? Who’s stopping him from reviewing copy for another show?

The lines between celebrity and journalism have long been blurred. Now Chris Cuomo is wiping mud on the screen. There’s no question he’s forcing everyone else in the industry to work harder today to guard against any slip.

Trust, the lifeline of any media organization, has just taken a direct hit. The sad part is Chris Cuomo probably doesn’t even care. He’ll just push on and pretend like there’s nothing to see here. But, he’ll slip up again.

Here's a link that provides related background information from the timeline on the fall of CNN's journalistic integrity. And here are some lowlights from the sad story of its decline:

• 6 May 2020: Peak Cuomo Arrives
• 21 May 2020: Cuomo Cheerleader CNN's Credibility Enters Rapid Phase of Collapse
• 18 February 2021: CNN Bans Cheerleader Chris Cuomo From Covering Brother Governor Andrew Cuomo
• 21 May 2021: What a Difference a Year Makes at CNN

2 February 2022: More on the Fall of Jeff Zucker

We may have found a new candidate to occupy the bottom story of the day, which features the collateral damage associated with Andrew M. Cuomo's COVID nursing home deaths scandals. Technically, this story qualifies for that status because it tangentally involves former CNN presenter Chris Cuomo, who any story about automatically qualifies as the bottom story of the day.

CNN boss Jeff Zucker resigns, says he failed to disclose office relationship with former Andrew Cuomo aide

This article reveals that Allison Gollust, the CNN marketing executive who was secretly involved in a relationship with CNN CEO Jeff Zucker that is the stated reason for Zucker's announced resignation today, is a member of Andrew M. Cuomo's influence network.

CNN President Jeff Zucker resigned Wednesday for failing to disclose a romantic relationship with a high-ranking colleague who once served as communications director to ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Zucker, 56, in a memo sent to staff said that he should have admitted to that relationship with CNN executive Allison Gollust when he was asked about it during a recent probe by the network of Chris Cuomo, who at the time was a host of a prime-time show there.

Chris Cuomo was fired in early December after CNN said it had obtained new information about his controversial role in advising his brother Andrew during a sexual harassment scandal, which itself had ultimately led to the governor’s resignation last summer.

“As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years,” Zucker said.

The other noteworthy item from this report is that Gollust is being allowed to remain in her position, despite also being an executive who would be expected to be held to the same standards as CEO Zucker. The next story we're featuring in this entry focuses on the reaction of CNN's staff to that development:

Female CNN staff furious Allison Gollust still has a job after Jeff Zucker affair

This report picks up on the disparate treatment in standards to which CNN executive Allison Gollust is not being held to that the news network's just-resigned CEO Jeff Zucker apparently is. Here's the introduction:

Female employees at CNN are furious that chief spokesperson Allison Gollust is keeping her job after “lying” about her affair with newly resigned CEO Jeff Zucker “for years,” sources told The Post.

“Why is she allowed to keep her job?” a CNN insider railed.

“CNN is supposed to be a transparent news network. How does she get away with lying about their affair for so long?”

Early Wednesday, Zucker sent a memo to colleagues announcing he’d be retiring after his relationship with Gollust came to light during CNN’s probe into Chris Cuomo. He called the relationship “consensual” and told staff that he wished he’d disclosed it sooner.

Why that's strange is because both Gollust and Zucker have been serving as executives at CNN. It would be highly unusual for the network to maintain one set of standards to which it is willing to hold its CEO accountable that is not being held to other executives engaged in the identical behavior, which is directly applicable in this situation.

As a member of Andrew M. Cuomo's influence network, we view Gollust as one of the managers and editors at CNN whose desks need to be cleared out as an essential step to restoring the news network's journalistic credibility.

1 December 2021: Ding Dong, Another Cuomo is Gone

CNN's Chris Cuomo suspended over role in ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sex scandal

Ding dong, another Cuomo is gone.

Well, not quite, seeing as we're talking about CNN. This is the same news organization that suspended Jeffrey Toobin after he sexually harassed the video attendees of a Zoom conference call, but then allowed him back on air after eight months because deep down, CNN's managers and editors seem okay with that kind of behavior. Unlike say, the New Yorker, whose employees were on that call, who took the matter more seriously and fired Toobin.

But that's a different story about the ethics CNN's managers and editors, so let's get to the story about Chris Cuomo being "indefinitely suspended":

CNN on Tuesday suspended its top news anchor, Chris Cuomo, for his role in defending his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, over sexual harassment allegations.

The cable news channel said in a statement the suspension followed the release of new court documents on Monday.

"These documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation,” CNN said.

For its part, CNN handled the story badly on air, as can be seen in the following one minute video embedded in a Twitter post featuring Anderson Cooper reading a statement from the network:

Ahead of taking over Chris Cuomo's timeslot with a second hour of AC360, Anderson reads the statement from CNN on Cuomo's indefinite suspension. pic.twitter.com/e7mRsWyJVP

— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 1, 2021

That was Jeffrey Toobin's face you saw in the right hand side of the screen when it was split into three parts. That's an indication CNN's managers and editors are still not yet taking the matter seriously enough.

The "second hour of 360" is CNN's initial solution to how to fill the hole in its schedule left by Chris Cuomo's "indefinite" suspension, with Anderson Cooper's show being extended by one hour.

ABC producer who accused Chris Cuomo of harassment calls CNN suspension 'meaningless', predicts he’ll be back

We're not alone in questioning CNN's suspension of Chris Cuomo for journalistic misconduct:

Shelley Ross, the veteran TV producer who accused Chris Cuomo of sexual harassment, suggested CNN's suspension of its star anchor isn't enough to hold him accountable for his involvement in his brother's scandals.

"There is more to accountability than a suspension," Ross told Fox News. "Chris Cuomo has always maintained he was not an adviser, he was a brother. He lied to CNN and his viewers. He needs to publicly acknowledge his wrongdoing to women, to victims of sexual harassment, assault and gender bias, to his colleagues, to the other journalists he compromised or tried to, and to the viewers he misled."...

She knocked CNN over its statement announcing it was "indefinitely" suspending Cuomo, calling it a "meaningless word" to the network.

"When he’s invited back, he still should be assigned a series on sexual harassment and ethics in the workplace," Ross said.

Fox News asked Ross if her comments meant she did not expect Cuomo to be fired as a result, to which she replied, "No, given CNN's great depth of forgiveness of sex offenses."

We anticipate a full housecleaning at CNN will become necessary by the time the news network's new owners, Discovery Communications, takes possession of the broadcast news outlet in mid-2022.

16 March 2022: Chris Cuomo Seeks $125 Million from CNN Over His Firing

Chris Cuomo Serves CNN With $125M Arbitration Demand

We've reached the bottom story of the day, which here at the timeline, means we get to talk about the hapless, journalism ethics-challenged Chris Cuomo, the younger brother of the resigned-in-disgrace former New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. In this episode, Chris Cuomo is seeking to arbitrate his way to a $125 million payday from his former employer, CNN. Here's the story from The Hollywood Reporter:

Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo is demanding $125 million from CNN following his termination from the cable news channel last year.

In a demand for arbitration filed with the dispute resolution giant JAMS, Cuomo alleges that his firing was not justified and that former CNN president Jeff Zucker failed to abide by the terms of Cuomo’s contract “by failing to instruct CNN employees not to disparage Cuomo.”

In fact, the complaint alleges that there was a “calculated campaign to smear Cuomo and destroy his reputation” by some CNN staff.

The $125 million claim, filed by Cuomo’s attorneys at Freedman + Taitelman and Clayman Rosenberg, includes $15 million that he says is owed for the remainder of his contract, but also “future wages lost as a result of CNN’s efforts to destroy his reputation in violation of the Agreement.”

By "disparage", Chris Cuomo really means "accurately describing his actions supporting his powerful politician brother while working at CNN as a 'journalist'".

Cuomo's main argument supporting his claim to $125 million is "my bosses did it too!"

“CNN, including Zucker and [CMO Allison] Gollust, knew of Cuomo’s role as a confidant and sounding board to his brother, and the details of his interactions with Gov. Cuomo and his staff, long before the transcripts of the NYAG investigation were publicly disclosed,” the arbitration filing states. “Cuomo had no reason to believe that his assistance to Gov. Cuomo was inconsistent with CNN’s or Turner’s policies nor its expectations, especially given the fact that Zucker and Gollust had encouraged him to do so and had themselves provided advice to Gov. Cuomo.”

The last we checked, both Jeffrey Zucker and Allison Gollust were likewise fired/compelled to resign for their actions in support of the political interests of Andrew M. Cuomo. As for the merits of Chris Cuomo's $125 million arbitration demand, we'll observe that his future value to any employer in the news media was greatly diminished when his powerful politician brother resigned in disgrace.

For more on the bottom story of the day, here's another angle, focusing on Cuomo's sniping at his former colleagues who remain employed at CNN at this writing:

• Chris Cuomo Takes Aim at Jake Tapper, Brian Stelter, Don Lemon in $125 Million Demand Against CNN

4 December 2021: Chris Cuomo Goes from "Indefinitely Suspended" to "Fired" at CNN

HE'S OUT CNN’s Chris Cuomo is FIRED for helping brother Andrew in sex harassment scandal as network says ‘more info has come out’

We're going with the U.S. Sun's coverage for this report because they beat other non-CNN media outlets in posting the story. Here's an excerpt:

AFTER his suspension earlier this week, Chris Cuomo has been fired after more information “came to light” in his efforts to help his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, following his accusations of sexual harassment.

CNN commented on Cuomo’s firing in a statement through Twitter.

“Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother’s defense,” it read.

“We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately. While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light.”

In his own statement, Cuomo commented on his termination.

“This is not how I want my time at CNN to end but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother,” he said.

“So let me say as disappointing as this is, I could not be more proud of the team at Cuomo Prime Time and the work we did as CNN’s #1 show in the most competitive time slot.

I owe them all and will miss that group of special people who did really important work”

Here's the Twitter post announcing Chris Cuomo's employment termination from CNN's PR staff:

Statement on Chris Cuomo’s termination from CNN. pic.twitter.com/yKPwYtMznD

— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) December 4, 2021

Here's the Twitter post with Chris Cuomo's statement:

pic.twitter.com/YArsJnUjqf

— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) December 4, 2021

In our view, more heads need to roll at CNN. Chris Cuomo's ethical misconduct was enabled by multiple layers of editors and managers at CNN, including the head of the news network. We suspect his firing is being done to protect the individuals in their current positions, until Discovery Communications takes full ownership in mid-2022 and can properly clean house.

Exit questions: Will CNN make the "additional information" they claim came to light in their review known to the public? Or to the New York state attorney general's office?

Update 5 December 2021: Here's a Twitter post with CNN's on-air announcement of Cuomo's firing:

#BREAKING: I am not making this up -- Jim Acosta was on the air when CNN announced that they fired Chris Cuomo, leaving him to break the news to viewers alongside Brian Stelter

Incredible. pic.twitter.com/h2gcnMh1Q3

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 4, 2021

29 November 2021: CNN's Chris Cuomo's Role as Advisor to Andrew M. Cuomo Detailed

New details on Chris Cuomo’s role advising brother Andrew

The report relates to some of the additional transcripts of witness testimony collected by the New York State Attorney General's independent investigators that were released on 29 November 2021. The following excerpt discusses the role of the ethically troubled CNN's Prime Time broadcast presenter Chris Cuomo an a political advisor to Andrew M. Cuomo.

Chris Cuomo told investigators he spoke regularly with his brother, exchanged text messages with his top advisers and was looped in on emails in February in March as they formulated a response to allegations from multiple women.

He also offered to help try and find out through his “sources” whether more women were going to come forward, including possibly learning their identities.

That's a rather amazing journalistic conflict of interest. Not to mention a breach of professional ethics in that he would almost certainly utilize his employer's resources and organization to benefit his powerful politician brother's interests.

CNN’s Chris Cuomo snooped on Ronan Farrow’s reporting on his brother, relayed 'intel' to Andrew Cuomo aide

This report details some of Chris Cuomo's actions on behalf of his brother's political interests:

CNN’s Chris Cuomo snooped into the progress of Ronan Farrow’s reporting about his brother Andrew Cuomo and relayed it to the governor's inner circle, according to a newly released transcript of his testimony to New York state investigators in July.

Farrow, who famously won the Pulitzer Prize and helped launch the #MeToo movement with his reporting on disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, also took a deep dive into alleged sexual wrongdoing by former Gov. Cuomo, the CNN anchor'solder brother.

Chris Cuomo admitted to contacting colleagues of Farrow for updates but claimed it was simply "business-as-usual" to employ such methods. Text messages released by state investigators showed top Andrew Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa asking about "intel the CNN anchor had about Farrow's report on March 15, to which he replied it wasn't ready for publication. Farrrow's story was eventually published on March 18.

Cuomo's admission contradicts what he told CNN viewers in August when he claimed, "I never made calls to the press about my brother's situation."

This next excerpt describes his approach:

The story that CNN’s most-watched anchor then admitted he called Farrow’s colleagues to meddle in the reporting process.

"I called a fellow journalist who works with Ronan a lot. And I didn't want to contact Ronan directly. I know him. He's – he's been good to me. He's been on my show. But I didn't want to – I didn't want to push up on him like that. It's not right," Cuomo said. "I was told nothing’s coming right away."

Cuomo was asked if he told CNN he was contacting people to ask about articles being written that could damage his brother.

"No, not specifically," Cuomo said.

The attorney pressed, asking if Cuomo told CNN he was making calls on "behalf of the executive chamber or behalf of your brother to learn information" and whether that was out of the ordinary, but the CNN host claimed he didn’t see it that way.

"There was going to be an article about my brother. So I'm interested. I wasn't going to call the person writing it. I wasn't going to try to influence any of the stories. And we know that that's true because you would have read about it had I. It's not exactly a loyalty-based business," Cuomo said. "If I had tried to influence any of the reporting at CNN or anywhere else, I guarantee you people would know, and so would a lot of others. So the idea of one reporter calling another to find out about what's coming down the pipe is completely business-as-usual."

No, not even close. It would be business-as-usual for a member of a sitting governor's public relations staff to engage in such an activity. By all appearances, Chris Cuomo utilized his professional contacts as a journalist employed by a news gathering organization to gather news that would benefit his brother's political interests.

But wait, there's more inappropriate journalistic conduct:

Documents show CNN's Cuomo asking top aide: 'Please let me help' defend brother Andrew

Let's just go straight to the excerpt for this report:

CNN host Chris Cuomo asked a top aide to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), his brother, to let him assist the team crafting the governor's response to allegations of inappropriate conduct made against the Democrat late last year.

"Please let me help with the prep," Cuomo wrote to Melissa DeRosa, a top advisor to the governor in a text message on March 3.

In another message, DeRosa wrote to Cuomo about a "Rumor going around from politico 1-2 more ppl coming out tomorrow," in reference to more accusers coming forward against Andrew Cuomo, asking the primetime anchor to check on them with his "sources."

"No one has heard that yet," Cuomo responded.

Days later, Cuomo sent DeRosa to consider having the governor deliver another statement. It read, in part, "I understand why they have to say what they are saying. I understand the political pressure I understand the stakes of political warfare, and that's what this is… And I understand the conformity that can be forced by cancel culture."

Who do you suppose Cuomo means when he said "No one has heard that yet"? Does that mean any of his journalist colleagues at CNN? How would they feel about having a status report of their work product shared with Andrew M. Cuomo's political team?

See how potentially bad for Chris Cuomo this is? As in journalism career-ending bad?

2 June 2021: CNN's Cuomo Exposes Systemic Ethical Failures at Network

CNN under ethics scrutiny following Cuomo revelations

The amazing revelation in this report is that CNN has virtually non-existent policies for addressing any of its journalists' conflicts of interests or ethical missteps. Instead, its managers and editors substitute arbitrary enforcement of vague guidelines, which lets them do whatever they want.

CNN is coming under internal and external criticism over its approach to conflicts of interest for journalists after host Chris Cuomo escaped disciplinary action despite advising his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), on how to handle sexual misconduct allegations.

Current and former employees have criticized the host of “Cuomo Prime Time” for the transgression, but a retired CNN ethics executive says the lack of clear cut policies are largely to blame.

“You won't see any rules that are etched in stone so that a violation could be a firing offense,” said Steve Holmes, who retired from CNN in 2019 after working at the network for more than a decade.

“And I think you see sort of the results. I mean the Chris Cuomo thing, they can't say that he's violated any written policies because there aren't any, period,” said Holmes, who reported to the executive vice president of news standards and practices when he was at CNN.

What Holmes is describing is an environment in which a toxic culture with a high tolerance for corruption can thrive. Holmes indicates CNN's managers and editors are effectively complicit in Chris Cuomo's ethical lapses.

Holmes, who was an editor at The Washington Post and part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team at The New York Times before joining CNN, said the inaction on Cuomo sends the wrong message.

“For them to sort of just shrug their shoulders and slough it off is just to me like, ‘Hold on people, don't you see how this looks?’” Holmes said.

“They could do that and take the criticism that it’s too lenient,” he said. “But what do they do when they don't do anything? What kind of signals does it send that you don't do anything?”

CNN's absence of written ethical standards is unique, according to an industry interest group:

Matthew Hall, national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, said, “Each outlet should have a policy, explain the policy to staff, expect the staff to follow the policy and then actually enforce the policy.”

Without such a written policy, CNN's journalists have little to no recourse to challenge ethical misconduct by their peers, their editors, and their organization's management:

CNN’s ostensible reasoning for having ethical guidelines, as opposed to hard and fast rules, Holmes said, was because it allowed them to handle problems on a case-by-case basis. Holmes said that also allowed CNN to deal with people who violated the guidelines depending upon how they felt about them.

That's the exact recipe needed to allow a toxic culture of fear and corruption to become institutionalized.

6 December 2021: Opinion - Both Cuomos Quit or Were Fired for the Wrong Reasons

Chris Cuomo, like Andrew, was fired for the wrong misdeeds

We're returning Chris Cuomo to the bottom story of the day with this entry. In this op-ed, Batya Ungar-Sargon argues that both Cuomo's, Chris and older brother Andrew M. Cuomo, should have been fired for other, more valid reasons. For the elder Cuomo, that more valid reason is his COVID nursing home deaths scandals, and for the younger Cuomo, the more valid reason is his failure to cover the COVID nursing home death scandals as a member of the media:

Long before the sexual-misconduct allegations, back when he had gotten a $5 million book deal and an Emmy “in recognition of his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the governor was signing the death warrants of tens of thousands of the most vulnerable New Yorkers — and then worked hard to cover it up.

His March 2020 edict forced nursing homes to take in COVID-positive patients. He reversed it in May, but it was too late: More than 6,000 such residents had been admitted to nursing homes, where the disease predictably spread like wildfire. Who knows how many of the more than 15,000 New York nursing-home deaths could have been prevented? And rather than take responsibility, Cuomo’s office engaged in a lengthy coverup.

And it wasn’t just nursing homes: Another directive barred group homes for the developmentally disabled from denying readmission “based solely on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19.” At least 552 residents of such homes died of the virus.

Yet there was comparatively little outrage about the betrayal of the developmentally disabled and the elderly, New York’s most vulnerable, certainly nothing akin to the (justified) outrage over the sexual-harassment allegations.

And just as Andrew Cuomo’s downfall came ultimately for sexual misconduct, not the deaths of seniors and the disabled, his brother Chris’ downfall was the result of acquiring his own accuser, rather than failing to cover the nursing-home scandal, an insider told The Post.

The sexual harassment scandals were an expedient way for the establishment in both New York's state government and in CNN's management to make their most visible problems appear to go away. Because dealing with the real problems both institutions face would mean sacking lots more people who think they deserve to be part of the establishment.

Meanwhile, Chris Cuomo has chosen to quit his other media gig, which he announced via Twitter post:

pic.twitter.com/mACJo3SqID

— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) December 6, 2021

And he's preparing to sue CNN.

Chris Cuomo prepping to sue CNN over his reported $6M-a-year contract: sources

Chris Cuomo appears to care a great deal about his $6 million per year income that he lost after being fired from CNN:

CNN is bracing for a legal battle with fired host Chris Cuomo over his contract, sources said Monday — after a bitter back-and-forth about what the network knew of his secret efforts to aid his embattled brother, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Chris Cuomo, 51, has hired lawyers and is preparing to file suit against CNN if it doesn’t honor the remainder of the four-year contract he signed last year, sources familiar with the matter told The Post on Monday.

The deal is reportedly worth $6 million annually.

But CNN has “no intention of paying [Chris] Cuomo a penny,” an insider said.

“If he gets a settlement, there would be uproar,” the source added.

Another source said, “CNN has a standard morality clause in their contract that says if the employee does anything of disrepute, they can be immediately fired.”

According to the law firm CNN hired to review Chris Cuomo's texts, deposition testimony in the New York state attorney general's probe of his brother's alleged sexual harassment of multiple women, and conduct at CNN, the network was well within its rights to fire him:

Lawyers from the white-shoe firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore told CNN that the documents gave the network legal grounds to fire the “Cuomo Prime Time” star for contacting “sources” about planned news reports regarding his brother, as well as trying to dig up dirt on at least one of Andrew’s accusers, sources said.

The lawyers’ stance even came ahead of a planned internal CNN probe into an unspecified sexual misconduct allegation against Chris Cuomo that the network received last week and which dates to his time working for ABC News, sources said.

The important thing to note in this article is the multiple sources at CNN who are willing to talk to other media outlets about Chris Cuomo. That's an indication he's far less popular among his former co-workers than he seems to think.