Chris Cuomo was fired by CNN, just days after he was suspended following reports he had played an active role in helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, fight accusations of sexual assault.
Cuomo is guilty of being a human being and trying to help his brother out of a jam. Is he guilty of conduct unbecoming a journalist? Not in my opinion. You have to be a journalist to do that. Chris Cuomo was not a journalist. The Oxford Dictionary defines a journalist as “a person who writes for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or prepares news to be broadcast.” If you know anything about television news, you know Chris Cuomo had little to do with the gathering or presentation of the news on his program. That’s done by an army of reporters, producers and interns, who provide the host the information and tell him which camera to smile at when. CNN hired Chris Cuomo because he looks good and has a famous last name.
What were they thinking? Hey, let’s hire the brother of one of the most powerful Democrats in the country, a man well known to have more than a passing interest in becoming President one day. “Coming up on the Chris Cuomo Show, all the highlights from last night’s Democratic debate, well, except for Andy, who we can’t mention.”
How about the journalists he reached out to for information on what bad coverage about his brother might be in the works? If I’m a reporter and Chris Cuomo calls me, I say to him, “Chris, if you say another word, I will report that you called me and why.” Pretty simple. I wonder if any of those ink-stained wretches’ heads will roll?
I wonder if anyone called for NBC to fire Andrea Mitchell when she married Alan Greenspan, the chair of the Federal Reserve? “Sweetheart, anything bad coming out about me?” Sorry, honey buns, can’t tell you. I’m a journalist.”
Of all the people involved in the Andrew/Chris Cuomo saga, the one who did the least wrong was probably Chris Cuomo. “Coming up next on CNN, the Don, Junior and Ivanka Hour. You won’t want to miss it.”
