Video summary
The video transcript centers on the ongoing controversy surrounding CNN's potential sale to Paramount CEO David Ellison and the subsequent viral reaction from host Brian Stelter. While Ellison has publicly expressed a desire to maintain a balanced, fact-based news environment that aligns with CNN's stated mission, critics argue that the network's actual editorial independence is under threat due to severe political turbulence and President Trump's long-standing efforts to weaken the outlet. The discussion highlights concerns among journalists and viewers about whether Paramount will uphold the journalistic standards that have historically defined CNN, especially given recent controversies at CBS News and the broader context of a bidding war against Netflix.
A significant portion of the commentary focuses on the dangers of misinformation, specifically addressing how right-wing media outlets manipulate out-of-context videos to create false narratives, such as claims about President Biden's physical abilities during an event. The transcript illustrates how cheap fakes, including distorted clips and deepfakes, are used to trick the public into believing falsehoods that serve a specific political agenda. This manipulation is contrasted with the perceived bias of mainstream media, where the argument is made that false stories consistently target Republicans while protecting Democrats, effectively functioning as internal party propaganda rather than objective journalism.
The narrator further critiques the irony of Brian Stelter complaining about external attacks on CNN, noting that his career was previously defined by similar tactics aimed at undermining Fox News. The analysis suggests that the pattern of bias is systemic across many news outlets, where mistakes and false stories are strategically deployed to harm one political party while benefiting another. The speaker concludes that while no government should control information flow, the current situation has forced a dilemma where Republicans might feel compelled to adopt the same partisan tactics used by Democrats to counteract what they view as entrenched leftist standards, ultimately arguing that adopting such standards makes the country worse off.
Read the full video transcript
But I can tell you, Ellison has talked
in recent months about how he wants to
sustain the news business in the United
States. And he's talked about his belief
that, quote, "the majority of the
country longs for news
that is balanced
>> [music]
>> and is fact-based." And Wolf, that sure
sounds a lot like CNN's mission.
>> [laughter]
>> How's it going everyone? Drone Tech
here. You know, sometimes I naively
think that the media has been fully
exposed and beaten, and there's really
nothing left to do at this point other
than mock them. But then you have Brian
Stelter poking his head out from a hole
to remind us all that they will never
stop gaslighting this country.
Now more broadly, CNN employees and
viewers have real concerns about whether
Paramount CEO David Ellison will uphold
the editorial independence that new CNN
is known for. There has been severe
political turbulence in recent months,
and President Trump has long sought to
weaken CNN. Last December, Trump said,
quote, "It's imperative that CNN be
sold." And now that is what's happening.
So far, Paramount has not yet commented
on its victory in this bidding war
against Netflix or telegraphed its
intentions for CNN. And recent
controversies at CBS News have unsettled
and unnerved journalists there. But I
can tell you, Ellison has talked in
recent months about how he wants to
sustain the news business in the United
States. And he's talked about his belief
that, quote, "the majority of the
country longs for news
that is balanced and is fact-based." And
Wolf, that sure sounds a lot like CNN's
mission.
Right.
And Wolf, that sure sounds a lot like
CNN's mission. A lot of similarities
here. And the bottom line is CNN is a
highly profitable business, and it would
seem foolish for anyone to put THAT AT
RISK.
>> [screaming]
>> FICTION CAN BE FUN, but I find the
reference section much more
enlightening.
Turns out I got COVID. Look, they put a
yellow filter on me, too.
All kinds of
>> [laughter]
>> nets. My well, it's more Brian Stelter
was the gleeful one. But the the point
is
that's a lie. But don't you think that a
lie like that is dangerous on a news
network when you know that they know
they're lying?
And you, uh, we want you to know that
our hearts are out there marching with
them.
that is the people. We've been worried
for years about AI deep fakes, that
computer-generated images are going to
trick people into believing something
that's totally false. Cheap fakes are a
little bit simpler. They're cheap.
They're just distorted, out-of-context
videos, chopped up in certain ways, uh,
constructed in certain ways. That's what
we're seeing.
>> Ellison and Biden campaign, what they
have an issue with is that these outlets
are wrapping these videos in their
misleading context, right? Saying that
this is evidence that Biden was
freezing. He's unable to walk off stage
on his own. And that's obviously not the
case. Uh, but that's how it's being
portrayed in right-wing media.
>> You've probably seen it by now, the
viral video sweeping the internet of a
mob of MAGA hat-wearing high school
students surrounding a Native American
chanting and drumming in the nation's
capital at the Indigenous Peoples March.
I wish I could say to these students,
"There's no place for this in our
society."
But I can tell you, Ellison has talked
in recent [music] months about how he
wants to sustain the news business in
the United States. And he's talked about
his belief that, quote, "the majority of
the country longs for news
that is balanced
>> [music]
>> and is fact-based." And Wolf, that sure
sounds a lot like CNN's mission. A lot
of similarities here. And the bottom
line is CNN is a highly profitable
business, and it would seem foolish for
anyone to put THAT AT RISK. [ __ ]
>> [screaming]
>> YEAH!
>> [groaning]
>> CNN IS Democrat Party propaganda for
Democrats, just like most of the media.
And it's not even like this is anything
new. There have been polls going back
for 20 years now showing plummeting
public trust in the media. When you look
at the partisan breakdown, it's not hard
to see that the media caters to one
party. And the irony of Brian Stelter,
of all people, complaining that Donald
Trump or anybody are trying to take down
CNN is laughable, seeing as how his job
used to be nothing but trying to take
Fox News down. Look, it doesn't take a
brain genius to see the pattern at CNN
and many other outlets that anytime they
make a mistake and put out a story
that's false, it always cuts against the
Republican Party. But I even asked Grok
about this to tally up all the stories
that turned out to be wrong or fake
that cut against or hurt the Republican
Party versus the amount of stories they
put out that did the same to Democrats.
And wouldn't you know it, it couldn't
come up with any.
Uh, it came up with a few for
Republicans, as you can see here,
although we know there are many, many,
many more. Uh, it came up with two
examples here for Democrats, but if you
look at it, it's not the same thing.
It's still Democrats protecting
Democrats. They they put out a story
that may have hurt one Democrat, but it
helped another. You know, it's all
really that's all just like
inner-Democrat stuff. It's not at all
comparable to these straight-up fake
stories they passed along simply because
it hurt Republicans and helped
Democrats. Folks, don't get me wrong. I
don't want the government, be it a
Republican or Democrat-controlled
government, having any control over the
flow of information. I I don't like it.
Uh, but we're in the situation where the
Democrats have already been doing that
for a very long time. And the only way
it seems that we can stop that is for
the Republicans to basically do the same
thing. I don't want it. I don't think
it's a good idea. I think I actually
agree with Kay Partin that it makes the
country worse off, uh, which goes back
to something I've always said, is that
if we all adopt Democrat Party
standards, leftist standards, then it
just makes everything worse. What do you
all think? Let me know in the comments,
and if you made it this far, you might
as well hit that like button and
subscribe. I do post on a regular basis,
so make sure to keep checking back for
more. Thanks a lot.
>> [music]
[music]
>> So baby