Disgusted WaPo media critic Erik Wemple says 'CNN must investigate Chris Cuomo,' but why on earth would they?

Brian Stelter, bless his heart, is doing his damnedest to help CNN deal with critics who are trying to spotlight their gross impropriety with regard to Chris Cuomo and his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Turns out that allowing Chris Cuomo to not only promote his brother Andrew Cuomo during the COVID19 pandemic and during the New York AG’s sexual harassment investigation, and allowing Chris Cuomo to continue to do it while helping Andrew Cuomo navigate the sexual harassment investigation behind the scenes, is not a great look for the Real News™ network.

Well, Stelter’s hard work doesn’t appear to be paying off. At least not with Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple:

CNN must investigate Chris Cuomo. https://t.co/1xjelRQr4Y

— ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) August 9, 2021

That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?

Wemple…how can I say this?…ain't havin' it. https://t.co/vCCdMwsYJZ

— Olivier Knox (@OKnox) August 9, 2021

Let's just say that @ErikWemple is less than impressed with Brian Stelter's attempt to cover the Cuomo saga on Sunday:

"We at the Erik Wemple Blog are trying to remember the last time that Stelter excused some atrocity at Fox News by pointing to the network’s killer ratings." https://t.co/lCFYW1sfap

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) August 9, 2021

Wemple writes:

More relevant to CNN’s leadership is the link between the involvement of people such as Chris Cuomo and the miserable work culture of the state’s so-called “executive chamber.” The loyalties of such outside advisers, notes the report, channeled directly to Andrew Cuomo — not to the public interest or the state government, and certainly not to the sexual harassment victims. That dynamic was one of several factors that “contributed to creating an environment where the Governor’s sexually harassing conduct was allowed to flourish and persist,” reads the report.

…

The AG report, of course, focuses on Andrew Cuomo’s conduct, not Chris Cuomo’s. That’s why CNN needs to commission a report of its own to determine just how its star anchor fit into this sexual harassment pushback effort. What, precisely, did he say in the conference calls? Was he aware that the executive chamber had provided false information to the Albany Times-Union as the paper explored the predicament of “Trooper #1”? What role did he play in the governor’s denials?

Some context here: In July, the New York Times discovered that it had a conflict-of-interest problem on its hands: A sportswriter had agreed to co-write a book with Michael Phelps, even as she was writing laudatory coverage of the Olympic star. So the newspaper launched a full-on investigation, and the reporter resigned from the paper.

Under different circumstances, we might be impressed with Wemple’s willingness to call out CNN. We can appreciate him shining a spotlight on Brian Stelter’s craven hypocrisy. But as a media critic, he should know CNN well enough to know that CNN’s not actually going to do anything about Chris Cuomo.

Why CNN? They won't find anything wrong.

— #JohnMcAfeeDidntKillHimself (@Crapplefratz) August 9, 2021

LOL Chris Cuomo did what CNN told him to do. https://t.co/MLPAHE8qIS

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) August 9, 2021

Exactly.

@cnn knew every bit of it. They are a clown show.

— Kevin Hermes (@bluemangos) August 9, 2021

Total clown show.

Investigate what?

At this point, what more do we need to know about Chris Cuomo's journalistic integrity (or lack thereof)? There's enough evidence in the public record (and has been) for CNN to take action.

But, CNN isn't in the business of enforcing journalistic standards. https://t.co/UVneMqDd0C

— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) August 9, 2021

They most certainly are not.