In the early days of COVID-19, CNN was a pioneer in pandemic clickbait. It packed its prime-time and online programming with horrifying anecdotes and gossip, providing audiences with only the most apocryphal and shocking commentary. CNN hosts stared directly at their navels while talking about their respective experiences with the virus. One host even staged the moment he emerged from his basement for the first time since recovering from his own battle with COVID-19. (In fact, it wasn’t his first time emerging from his basement.)
Now, however, with the advent of vaccines and the inoculation of more than 1.2 billion people worldwide, the left-wing cable network seems to have lost its groove. Its attempts to squeeze further ratings from the pandemic have become tired and sloppy. Consider, for example, a report CNN published this week bearing the alarming headline, “France kept classrooms open ‘at all costs.’ At a school where 20 pupils lost loved ones, some say the price was too high.”
