Listen as Larry spoke with Sharyl Attkisson, host of Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson, regarding the latest retractions and resignations from CNN and her new book, THE SMEAR: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote.
During the interview, O’Connor asked Attkisson about the recent events at CNN:
O’Connor: Sharyl Attkisson, how and why does something like this happen? It’s not like CNN is a startup, CNN has been there for decades. You would think they that they have some pretty basic rules that they have to follow. How does something like that get slipped through the cracks in your opinion?
Attkisson: Well I worked there, I think in 1990 to 1993 and certainly things across the board have changed a lot in the last few years. And standards have been loosened. I think we as journalist have for whatever reason began to exempt ourselves from the normal rules that we have decided to follow and the normal professional standards given the reason that we think this press in particular is a [inaudible] type of press that deserves different treatment and I think that’s sort of coming home to root. There is a reason why certain standards and practices have existed and then there are many dangers that could happen when they’re not followed.
O’Connor followed up asking Attkisson how votes are linked to media and politics:
Attkisson: The campaign 2016 saw this unprecedented change. And I talked to some of the players involved. People may sense what’s happening but they probably don’t know the well financed corporations non-profits, LLCs and smear artists, as I call them, who operate in the snarky universe, both on the conservative, liberal side and corporate side with the distinct goal to sway our opinion and make us think something’s true that may not necessarily be true. And the’ve become very good at it and the news media, we have, I’m afraid too often, allowed ourselves to become tools in these efforts rather than being independent sort of arbiters of them.
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