{"id":33484,"date":"2019-08-06T10:23:52","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T14:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/?p=33484"},"modified":"2019-08-16T23:48:32","modified_gmt":"2019-08-17T03:48:32","slug":"sour-lemons-cnn-ambush-of-pastor-unprofessional-and-irresponsible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/ncppr\/2019\/08\/06\/sour-lemons-cnn-ambush-of-pastor-unprofessional-and-irresponsible\/","title":{"rendered":"Sour Lemon\u2019s CNN Ambush of Pastor \u201cUnprofessional\u201d and \u201cIrresponsible\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don Lemon did nothing to dispel the CNN\u2019s reputation of being very liberal and incredibly biased against the Trump Administration when he recently \u00a0\u201cambushed\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>a black pastor invited on his show to talk about a meeting with the President.<\/p>\n

Lemon spent the majority of the approximately eight-minute interview<\/a><\/strong> trying to get Reverend Bill Owens of the Coalition of African American Pastors to say that President Trump is a racist. When Owens would not, Lemon browbeat Owens with suggestions he was \u201ccondoning attacks\u201d by not calling out the President. Owens was also cut off by Lemon when he tried to explain his positions.<\/p>\n

In a discussion about the CNN interview and Lemon\u2019s hostility toward the President on the Fox News Channel program \u201cThe Ingraham Angle,\u201d Project 21<\/a><\/strong> Co-Chairman Horace Cooper<\/a> <\/strong>said that Don Lemon betrays the proper role of the press because he \u201chas an axe to grind.\u201d Dispelling the suggestions that President Trump is a racist, Horace said that \u201c[a] racist would not have done all of the great things he has done for black America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Explaining Lemon\u2019s lack of objectivity, despite CNN giving him high-profile assignments such as being one of the moderators of the recent Democratic presidential debates, Horace pointed out:<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a political opponent \u2013 not a journalist. He\u2019s not even a talking head. He actually tries to weigh in any way to manipulate the outcome.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Regarding the Owens interview, Horace added:<\/p>\n

And it was really, really irresponsible \u2013 and very unprofessional \u2013 the way that he handled that interview. Frankly, I thought there would have been a lot more deference to a minister brought into to discuss his ministerial activity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As for what Owens said to Lemon about the President, Horace said:<\/p>\n

He told the truth.<\/p>\n

The pastor explained that the President is an equal opportunity offender. He doesn\u2019t single out people\u2026 It means he\u2019s not a racist. In fact, his record is the opposite of a racist. He\u2019s put more pickup trucks in the homes of blacks. More homes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Leo Terrell, Horace\u2019s usual debate partner on Ingraham\u2019s show, did not try to defend Lemon or his bias and even laughed at how CNN changed the description of Owens from \u201cfaith leader\u201d to \u201ccontroversial pastor\u201d during the course of the interview with Lemon. But Terrell once again<\/a> <\/strong>tried to validate the claim of President Trump\u2019s alleged racism as a fact because of the results of a recent poll. Horace replied:<\/p>\n

Let me give you some facts\u2026 In the last 60 years, there\u2019s been only one president who has kicked more black Americans out of their house, who has destroyed the savings of more black Americans, who has put \u2013 in the unemployment lines \u2013 more black Americans. That was Barack Obama. If that record is what we want to measure, they he\u2019s a racist.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s unlikely that this line of presidential analysis will ever be a part of Don Lemon\u2019s regularly scheduled CNN programming.<\/p>\n