A former anchor for CNN is alleging a senior female executive at the network advised her to book only a certain type of black guest to appear on her show.
“This is an interesting read. Reminds me of the CNN exec who told me: ‘Roland Martin isn’t the ‘right kind of’ Black person.’ She didn’t want me to book him on my show,” Soledad O’Brien tweeted over the weekend. “Charles Blow, she told me, (also a frequent guest) was ‘the right kind of Black.'”
O’Brien, who was a host on CNN for a decade, was reacting to a bombshell piece in the Huffington Post by journalist Yashar Ali, which laid out accusations of racism and discrimination against black people by Barbara Fedida, head of ABC News talent.
According to the report, Fedida wondered during a 2018 meeting what Robin Roberts, a black female anchor, “could want and said it wasn’t as if the network was asking Roberts to ‘pick cotton.'”
This is an interesting read. Reminds me of the cnn exec who told me: “Roland Martin isn’t the ‘right kind of’ Black person.” She didn’t want me to book him on my show. L https://t.co/mV8haGI2zo
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) June 14, 2020
Charles Blow, who is a commentator on CNN, reacted to O’Brien’s allegations.
“I don’t know how to take this ‘good negro’ talk… ” Blow said.
I don’t know how to take this “good negro” talk… https://t.co/WKdWSZCWoy
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) June 14, 2020
CNN did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment.
