View source for CNN controversies

==Other==
===Jon Stewart's ''Crossfire'' appearance===
Comedian [[Jon Stewart]] appeared on ''[[Crossfire (U.S. TV program)|Crossfire]]'' on October 15, 2004 and criticized its format and the style of arguments presented on the show. He called hosts [[Tucker Carlson]] and [[Paul Begala]] "partisan hacks", and asked them to "stop hurting America". Begala argued that the purpose of the show was that it was intended as for debate, to which Stewart responded "To do a debate would be great. But that's like saying [[professional wrestling|Pro Wrestling]] is a show about athletic competition" and called Carlson's signature bow-tie an example of "theater". At one point Carlson told Stewart "I think you're more fun on your show", Stewart replied by saying: "You know what's interesting though? You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show." Carlson later told Stewart that, "You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think", to which Stewart quipped, "You need to go to one".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE#t=12m20s |title=jon stewart on crossfire |publisher=YouTube |date=January 16, 2006 |accessdate=August 5, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/15/cf.01.html |title=Jon Stewart's America |publisher=CNN |date=October 15, 2004 |accessdate=April 27, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Crossfire">{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/08/cnn-crossfire_n_3040034.html | work=The Huffington Post | title= CNN 'Crossfire' Alumni Hope Political Debate Show Returns | first=Michael | last=Calderone | date=April 8, 2013}}</ref>

Carlson departed CNN in January 2005; the network cancelled ''Crossfire'' at that same time. CNN president [[Jonathan Klein (CNN)|Jonathan Klein]] stated that, "I agree wholeheartedly with Jon Stewart's overall premise."<ref name="Crossfire"/><ref>{{cite news|title=CNN Will Cancel 'Crossfire' and Cut Ties to Commentator|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/06/business/media/06crossfire.html?_r=1|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 6, 2005|accessdate=March 16, 2009}}</ref> Carlson said that he had resigned from CNN before Stewart's appearance claiming: "I resigned from ''Crossfire'' in April, many months before Jon Stewart came on our show, because I didn't like the partisanship, and I thought in some ways it was kind of a pointless conversation... each side coming out, you know, [raises fists] 'Here's my argument', and no one listening to anyone else. [CNN] was a frustrating place to work."<ref name="Salon">{{cite news| url=http://www.salon.com/2012/04/26/tucker_carlsons_downward_spiral/ | work=Salon| title= Tucker Carlson's downward spiral | first=Alex| last=Pareene | date=April 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,279822,00.html |title=The Spin Room, Hardball |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |date=February 16, 2001 |accessdate=April 27, 2013}}</ref> Begala remained with CNN after ''Crossfire''{{'}}s cancellation.

===Steubenville High School rape case coverage===
{{main|Steubenville High School rape case}}
[[Candy Crowley]], [[Poppy Harlow]] and Paul Callan were criticized for being sympathetic towards the two convicted rapists in the Steubenville High School rape case and for placing very little focus on the victim on March 17, 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/cnn-steubenville-rape-petition_n_2901462.html |title= CNN's Steubenville Rape Coverage Draws Petition Demanding Apology |publisher=The Huffington Post |date=March 18, 2013 |accessdate=April 16, 2013 |first=Jack |last=Mirkinson}}</ref> During the course of the delinquent verdict, Harlow stated that it was "Incredibly difficult, even for an outsider like me, to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures, star football players, very good students, literally watched as they believed their lives fell apart...when that sentence came down, [Ma'lik] collapsed in the arms of his attorney... He said to him, 'My life is over. No one is going to want me now.'"<ref>
* {{cite news
 |title=CNN grieves that guilty verdict ruined 'promising' lives of Steubenville rapists
 |url=http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/03/17/cnn-grieves-that-guilty-verdict-ruined-promising-lives-of-steubenville-rapists/
 |work=The Raw Story
 |first=David
 |last=Edwards
 |date=March 17, 2013
 |accessdate=March 17, 2013
}}
* {{cite web
 |title=Steubenville Rapists, Who Are 'Very Good Students'
 |url=http://gawker.com/5991003/cnn-reports-on-the-promising-future-of-the-steubenville-rapists-who-are-very-good-students
 |work=[[Gawker]]
 |first=Mallory
 |last=Ortberg
 |date=March 17, 2013
 |accessdate=March 19, 2013
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318155330/http://gawker.com/5991003/cnn-reports-on-the-promising-future-of-the-steubenville-rapists-who-are-very-good-students
 |archivedate=March 18, 2013
}}
* {{cite news
 |title=Petition blasting CNN for allegedly sympathetic coverage of Steubenville, Ohio, rape convicts garners more than 180,000 signatures
 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/cnn-rape-coverage-sparks-petition-article-1.1292387
 |newspaper=New York Daily News
 |first=David
 |last=Knowles
 |date=March 18, 2013
 |accessdate=March 19, 2013
}}
* {{cite news
 |title=CNN criticized for Steubenville verdict coverage
 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/cnn-steubenville-rape-poppy-harlow-144458279.html
 |work=[[Yahoo! News]]
 |first=Dylan
 |last=Stableford
 |date=March 18, 2013
 |accessdate=March 19, 2013
}}
* {{cite news
 |title=CNN is getting hammered for Steubenville coverage
 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2013/03/18/cnn-is-getting-hammered-for-steubenville-coverage/
 |newspaper=The Washington Post
 |first=Erik
 |last=Wemple
 |date=March 18, 2013
 |accessdate=March 19, 2013
}}</ref> An online petition garnered over 200,000 signatures protesting the coverage and demanding an apology.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/cnn-rape-coverage-sparks-petition-article-1.1292387|title=Petition blasting CNN for allegedly sympathetic coverage of Steubenville, Ohio, rape convicts garners more than 200,000 signatures |publisher=New York Daily News |date=March 18, 2013|accessdate=April 16, 2013}}</ref>

CNN also revealed the name of the 16-year-old victim on March 17 by broadcasting unedited footage of one of the convicted rapists' post-conviction statements. This practice is against the [[Associated Press]] guidelines for coverage.<ref>{{cite news|title=CNN, Fox News, MSNBC Air Name of Steubenville Rape Victim|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/fox-news-steubenville-rape-victim_n_2901635.html|work=[[Huffington Post]]|date=March 18, 2013|accessdate=March 18, 2013}}</ref>

===Coverage of the Cleveland kidnapping victims===
{{see also|Ariel Castro kidnappings}}
On the morning of May 7, 2013, CNN interrupted coverage of the [[Jodi Arias]] murder trial with an update of the release of three young women from [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] who were kidnapped by Ariel Castro between 2002 and 2004. CNN correspondent [[Ashleigh Banfield]] appeared to interview HLN host [[Nancy Grace]] from a remote location, and it appeared that both were filming from parking lots. The channel graphics later alerted viewers that both reporters were in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], [[Arizona]]. The same cars were noticeable driving behind the two anchors, first behind Banfield and then by Grace. It became obvious that Grace and Banfield were, in fact, sitting in the same parking lot, pretending to be in remote locations when both were actually approximately 30 feet from each other.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thewire.com/national/2013/05/nancy-grace-ashleigh-banfield-cnn-parking-lot/64965/|title=Nancy Grace and Ashleigh Banfield Hold Split-Screen Interview in Same Parking Lot|author=Dashiell Bennett|work=The Wire|accessdate=July 7, 2015}}</ref>

===Redditor controversy===

On July 2, 2017, President Donald Trump posted a video on [[Twitter]] depicting him repeatedly [[Professional wrestling attacks#Clothesline|clotheslining]] and punching [[WWE]] owner [[Vince McMahon]] on the ground during [[WrestleMania 23]]. The clip had been edited to place a CNN logo over McMahon's face. Two days later, CNN published a story entitled, "How CNN found the Reddit user behind the Trump wrestling GIF", which labeled [[Reddit]] user "HanAssholeSolo" as the creator of the viral video. In the article, political reporter [[Andrew Kaczynski]] explained the process that allowed the organization to discover the identity of the user.<ref name="kfile">{{cite news|title=How CNN found the Reddit user behind the Trump wrestling GIF|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/04/politics/kfile-reddit-user-trump-tweet/index.html|date=July 4, 2017|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=CNN Politics}}</ref>

After the publication of the article, the user posted an apology to CNN, including apologies for previous Reddit postings that could be taken as well as containing racist, anti-Islam, and anti-Semitic language and imagery on the Reddit group [[/r/The Donald]]. Immediately afterwards, his apology was locked and deleted by the subreddit's moderators<ref name="kfile"/><ref>{{cite news|last1=Berke|first1=Jeremy|title='I am in no way this kind of person': Reddit user who created Trump's CNN body-slam meme apologizes for his racist and anti-Semitic posts|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-reddit-hanassholesolo-racist-anti-semitic-cnn-meme-tweet-2017-7|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=Business Insider|date=July 4, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Mack|first1=David|title=The Reddit User Who Made The Trump/CNN Wrestling Video Has Posted An Apology|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/hanassholesolo|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=BuzzFeed|date=July 4, 2017|language=en}}</ref> while the user deleted his Reddit account.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kostarelis|first1=Stefan|title=Redditor who created THAT Trump vs CNN video apologises and deletes his account|url=https://www.techly.com.au/2017/07/05/redditor-that-made-the-trump-vs-cnn-video-apologises-and-deletes-his-account/|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=Techly|date=July 5, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ferreras|first1=Jesse|title=Reddit user who took credit for Trump GIF apologizes, account deleted after CNN finds him|url=http://globalnews.ca/news/3575504/reddit-trump-gif-cnn-apology/|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=Global News|date=July 5, 2017|language=en}}</ref> After confirming the identity of the Reddit user, HanAssholeSolo expressed his unwillingness for his name to be released to the public. In response, CNN stated that they would not reveal his name, as he was "[a] private citizen who has issued an extensive statement of apology, showed his remorse by saying he has taken down all his offending posts, and because he said he is not going to repeat this ugly behavior on social media again. In addition, he said his statement could serve as an example to others not to do the same. CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change."<ref name="kfile"/>

Prominent [[Alt-right]] users on social media subsequently accused CNN of [[blackmailing]] the user, using a hashtag, #CNNBlackmail, that was heavily pushed by [[Julian Assange]], as well as various right-wing online activists and conspiracy theorists.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bell|first1=Chris|title=CNN accused of 'blackmailing' Trump gif maker|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-40504203|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=BBC News|date=July 5, 2017}}</ref><ref name=Apology>{{cite news|last1=Nwanevu|first1=Osita|title=Reddit User Apologizes for Trump-CNN GIF; CNN Coverage Raises Eyebrows|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/07/05/reddit_user_hanassholesolo_apologizes_for_trump_cnn_gif_cnn_covers_with.html|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=Slate|date=July 5, 2017}}</ref> Kaczynski responded by stating that CNN's statement was "misinterpreted", and that the user said that he was not threatened prior to his apology.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Irby|first1=Kate|title=CNN identified the creator of the Trump wrestling gif. Now it's accused of blackmail.|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article159650689.html|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=Miami Herald|date=July 5, 2017|language=en}}</ref> Meanwhile, Madison Malone Kircher of ''[[New York Magazine]]'' opined that CNN could have avoided the [[internet vigilantism]] if the network had simply published his identity, as is common in similar situations, criticizing their decision to "protect" the user.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kircher|first1=Madison Malone|title=Did CNN 'Blackmail' a Redditor Over His Trump Wrestling GIF?|url=http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/07/cnnblackmail-erupts-over-hanassholesolo-trump-wrestling-gif.html|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=Select All|date=July 5, 2017|language=en}}</ref>

CNN's decision to withhold the user's name was also criticized by William Grueskin, a professor at [[Columbia University]]. Grueskin argued that the user was neither an abuse victim nor a confidential witness nor a juvenile. Meanwhile, Indira Lakshmanan of [[Poynter Institute]] said that it was more likely that, out of fear, the user begged CNN to have his name withheld.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bauder|first1=David|title=CNN faces backlash over handling of doctored Trump video|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/cnn-faces-backlash-over-handling-of-doctored-trump-video/2017/07/05/8088b2b2-61bf-11e7-80a2-8c226031ac3f_story.html|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=Associated Press|date=July 5, 2017}}{{dead link|date=October 2019}}</ref> [[Kirsten Powers]], a commentator at CNN, also criticized CNN's decision, asking in a ''[[USA Today]]'' article: "What about the people he routinely dehumanizes and degrades online?"<ref>{{cite news|last1=Powers|first1=Kristen|title=CNN, journalists should have no pity for anonymous internet trolls|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/07/07/cnn-holesolo-blackmail-journalism-kirsten-powers-column/459898001/|accessdate=July 8, 2017|work=USA Today|date=July 7, 2017|language=en}}</ref> Powers also wrote on Twitter that "people do not have a 'right' to stay anonymous so they can spew their racist, misogynist, homophobic garbage".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Balluck|first1=Kyle|title=CNN's Powers on meme controversy: 'People do not have the right to stay anonymous'|url=http://thehill.com/homenews/media/340829-cnns-powers-on-meme-controversy-people-do-not-have-the-right-to-stay-anonymous|accessdate=July 7, 2017|work=TheHill|date=July 6, 2017}}</ref>