In recent years, daytime talk shows, nighttime talk shows, comedians, journalists, the entertainment industry, and news media outlets have been perceived to be left-leaning and supportive of Democratic Party candidates and policies. Some of these perceptions are well founded. Stories critical of Democratic Party candidates tend to be under-reported or not reported at all. Stories critical of conservatives and Republicans are covered excessively, and sometimes the stories contain exaggerations or errors so significant that retractions need to be issued and stories need to be completely removed. One example occurred recently with CNN having to take down a story that was proven to be incorrect and negatively impactful.
Those concerned about the wellbeing, effectiveness, and longevity of the above mentioned media sources are looking for ways that the above mentioned people and media groups can survive in increasingly hostile conditions. There have been efforts to dial back attacks on conservatives and bring more balance that will hopefully restore public trust among those not previously represented well in the media.
An example of exceptionalism in this regard was a recent CNN segment with conservative Republican and veteran Dan Crenshaw who was criticized on Saturday Night Live by a comedian making fun of his war injury. CNN gave Crenshaw an extended supportive and positive interview. This is precisely what CNN needs to be doing.
CNN Segment with Dan Crenshaw (5 Nov 2018)
Here’s the CNN segment with Dan Crenshaw. After about 2m 50s into the video, the discussion shifts to current events unrelated to the recent SNL issue.
SNL Recovery Episode (10 Nov 2018)
Five days later, Saturday Night Live invited Dan Crenshaw on to give Pete Davidson a chance to apologize, and share some jokes with the SNL team. Crenshaw shares an inspiring message for Veteran’s Day. The video is currently the #1 trending video on YouTube with over 5 million views in the first 48 hours. Crenshaw also wrote an excellent commentary in the Washington Post about this issue where he stated:
“I also could not help but note that this was another chapter in a phenomenon that has taken complete control of the national discourse: outrage culture. It seems like every not-so-carefully-worded public misstep must be punished to the fullest extent, replete with soapbox lectures and demands for apologies. Anyone who doesn’t show the expected level of outrage will be labeled a coward or an apologist for bad behavior. I get the feeling that regular, hard-working, generally unoffended Americans sigh with exhaustion — daily.” (Source: Dan Crenshaw, Washington Post, 13 Nov 2018)
Note: One part of the video below that needs clarification is the point in the skit where Dan Crenshaw accepts Pete’s apology, then Dan’s phone starts ringing with a ringtone of the song “Breathin” by Ariana Grande. The audience breaks out in laughter. This is because the ringtone was a funny jab at Pete who recently broke up with the beautiful and talented mega pop star Ariana Grande.
Fox News Coverage (12 Nov 2018)
Fox News covered the follow-up SNL skit very positively in this segment.