CNN’s Brian Stelter and his crew from the show Reliable Sources paid a visit to a New York classroom to help teach school kids how to spot misinformation.
The aim of the excursion into the classroom is described as teaching students “how to spot and avoid being misled by misinformation.”
“Barbara King wants to arm this eighth-grade class with the tools they will need in a world of information saturation,” Stelter reads in his best husky Vera De Milo voice. “And there is a lot to learn.”
They definitely brought a ‘tool’ in to help teach about misinformation.
CNN’s @brianstelter visits a classroom in New York where students are learning how to spot and avoid being misled by misinformation. pic.twitter.com/i7mxOsamgX
— Reliable Sources (@ReliableSources) January 23, 2022
RELATED: ‘Beyond Parody’: CNN Announces They’re Hiring Team To Cover ‘Misinformation’
CNN Reporting on Kids Learning About Misinformation
The segment, as you might imagine, was ripe for mockery, as the teacher began by identifying different types of misinformation – the first being ‘satire.’
“There’s too much misinformation around us in the world,” King says unironically to Stelter.
Stelter later speaks to the students, pressing them on whether or not they’re using their newfound ‘misinformation’ lessons at home.
“Do any of you feel like you try to correct friends or family now based on what you’ve learned?” he asks.
One student claims that his family had to be corrected on COVID being a hoax. It is something the media once suggested former President Trump said of the virus but was ultimately disproven by eight separate fact-checkers.
The first form of misinformation she mentions is… satire? https://t.co/6Rpwso6p3L
— Patrick Brennan (@ptbrennan11) January 24, 2022
Several social media consumers couldn’t help but joke about CNN’s presence in a classroom full of kids.
Especially knowing two producers at the network recently lost their jobs over sex crime allegations pertaining to underage children.
Comedian and writer Bridget Phetasy fired off the first shot tweeting, “…And we know how much CNN producers love children.”
…And we know how much CNN producers love children. https://t.co/x5M1U6W1zF
— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) January 23, 2022
Ouch!
Others noted that a screengrab of a portion of the CNN misinformation segment shows somebody clicking on a Tinder icon on their cellphone screen.
Perhaps not the best choice considering the current scandals engulfing the network.
Is that tinder https://t.co/ZOOsYQn5RN pic.twitter.com/nCjVV0aawE
— Joe Gabriel Simonson (@SaysSimonson) January 24, 2022
RELATED: Sinking Ship: CNN’s Ratings Plummet Nearly 90 Percent In Key Demographic
Hiring A Misinformation Team
CNN’s campaign to rid the world of misinformation despite producing plenty of their own isn’t just limited to the classroom.
CNN Business Managing Editor Alex Koppelman announced on Twitter last week that the network is hiring a team that will be dedicated to covering ‘misinformation.’
“I’m hiring 3 people for a new CNN team dedicated to covering misinformation,” Koppelman happily declared.
Hello Twitter! Some very exciting MEDIA JOBS to tell you about. I’m hiring 3 people for a new CNN team dedicated to covering misinformation. Thread about the team/jobs starts here. Please feel free to share far and wide, and if you’re interested, reach out or apply at the links.
— Alex Koppelman (@AlexKoppelman) January 18, 2022
That same day, they announced the hiring of Twitter influencer Rex Chapman to join its new streaming service set to launch later this year, despite having a documented and extensive record of sharing misinformation.
NEW: Here are seven times CNN’s newest hire Rex Chapman peddled misinformation on Twitterhttps://t.co/hr4Sc31MyF
— Joseph A. Wulfsohn (@JosephWulfsohn) January 19, 2022
Popular podcast host Joe Rogan once roasted the student’s featured guest for misinformation class.
Stelter was caught fawning over White House Press Secretary Jan Psaki during an especially embarrassing interview in which he asked her what the media gets wrong in covering the current administration.
“How about Brian Stelter talking to the press secretary, ‘What are we doing wrong? What are we doing wrong?’” railed Rogan. “Like, hey motherf***er, you’re supposed to be a journalist.”
Quite sure that clip won’t be played in classrooms anytime soon.
Joe Rogan destroys CNN’s Brian Stelter: “You’re supposed to be a journalist!” https://t.co/a4cdnDYDwc pic.twitter.com/mRGm55AGyw
— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) June 18, 2021
Stelter also famously served as a punching bag for legendary journalist Ted Koppel who accurately predicted CNN’s “ratings would be in the toilet without Donald Trump.”
Video: To consternation of @BrianStelter, Ted Koppel contended during 10/1 Kalb Report @PressClubDC: “You would be lost without @realDonaldTrump. CNN’s ratings would be in the toilet without Trump.” Stelter: “Ted, you know that’s not true. You’re playing for laughs.” #NPCLive pic.twitter.com/XGZl9yNzqh
— Brent Baker (@BrentHBaker) October 3, 2018
The Political Insider reported earlier this month that while CNN is focused on pointing out everybody else’s misinformation, their ratings have been in the tank.
Ratings for the first week reveal a sharp 90% decline in the coveted 25-54 year old demographic as compared to last year. CNN averaged just 548,000 viewers for the first week in January, a mark well below the 2.7 million viewers from the same week in 2021.
