'We need on-air mea culpas': Frank Luntz calls BS on Brian Stelter & Oliver Darcy's blame shifting after CNN's Avenatti fawn-fest aged poorly

Doug P. | 4:43 PM on February 15, 2020

As we told you earlier, after hosting Michael Avenatti dozens and dozens of times and even touting him as possible presidential material, the celebrity attorney being found guilty in the Nike extortion trial has made CNN and other media outlets look like total clowns. But instead of expressing some regret, the “Reliable Sources” newsletter blamed Fox News and “right-wing personalities” for claiming Avenatti was a “media darling”:

Here's how the Reliable Sources newsletter covered Avenatti's conviction: Fox (predictably) characterized Avenatti as a "media darling." Other right-wing personalities…zinging not only Avenatti but news organizations for having given him so much air time… pic.twitter.com/KzpeNvNshd

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) February 14, 2020

Frank Luntz doesn’t buy that shameless spin:

CNN and MSNBC featured @MichaelAvenatti on their networks a combined 108 times within a 2-month span.

We need on-air mea culpas, not an email newsletter blaming it on Fox News.

?? https://t.co/AttFxLDBsS https://t.co/cRar3mFQ6x

— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) February 15, 2020

And here’s another assignment:

Perhaps CNN’s “media reporters” @BrianStelter and @OliverDarcy should interview their own bosses about why they continued to have @MichaelAvenatti on their network despite his behind-the-scenes behavior.

Why don’t media reporters ever scrutinize their own networks’ practices? https://t.co/FlW3TsleHm

— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) February 15, 2020