Conservative Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan’s latest op-ed hits CNN and the national news media for turning the Republican presidential primaries into a reality show.
In her column, published Thursday night, Noonan said the process has gotten more attention thanks to the celebrity of Donald Trump, but said CNN turned this week’s debate into a frivilous game of knock-out.
“Mr. Trump has so upped the dramatic ante that the networks have jumped in as players, goading dopey candidate No. 3 to confront and attack dopey candidate No. 4,” Noonan wrote. “This is diminishing. They’re puppets in somebody else’s show.”
She continued, “This journalistic approach is in line with the general national mood of hating politicians. Will they cuff around the Democrats like that? And by becoming active players in the drama, do journalists themselves become the newest freaks in what they themselves call the freak show?”
CNN’s debate, which was deliberately set up to pit the candidate’s against each other with as little moderating as possible, was also criticized by others in the media.
Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” co-host Mika Brzezinski described the debate as “the Trump show, brought to you by CNN.”
