Dems Hit CNN For Keeping RNC’s Castellanos On The Air
The Demcratic National Committee, which seems to relish mixing it up with the media, is taking a shot at CNN for keeping GOP strategist Alex Castellanos on the air as a contributor even as he takes on an expanded public relations role at the Republican National Committee.
Castellanos is going to be playing a bigger communications role at the RNC in the wake of the departure of Michael Steele’s communications director yesterday. But CNN has nonetheless decided to allow Castellanos to continue appearing on the network offering political analysis, Sam Stein reports.
That drew a rebuke from DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan, who emails me that there’s no way Castellanos will be able to offer “independent analysis” on the network.
Castellanos has also functioned as an ad buyer for the insurance industry, and he had a consulting contract with the Chamber of Commerce, a determined foe of Obama’s agenda, though both these roles seem to have ended.
The DNC’s Sevugan emailed this statement:
“By bringing on a senior strategist for the Chamber and AHIP, the Republican Party can no longer pretend that they aren’t in the pocket of big business and the insurance industry lobby and it made it crystal clear who Republicans are fighting for — and it’s not our families and small businesses. When Castellanos is on CNN as a top strategist for the GOP, the insurance industry, and the Chamber of Commerce, he certainly won’t be offering any “independent analysis.”
A CNN spokesperson, Edie Emery, told Sam Stein that the arrangement was acceptable because Castellanos won’t be paid by the RNC and because the network employs contributors who advise both parties. I asked Emery to name a CNN contributor on the Dem side who is the equivalent of Castellanos, and she cited Donna Brazile.
It seems to me that Castellanos is going to have a more central role at the RNC than Brazile ever did at the DNC. It’s true that such abuses occur on both sides — the revolving door between consulting and offering allegedly independent on-air analysis is a bipartisan one — but Castellanos seems like a particularly striking example.
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Donna is actually a pretty good comeback, but I’ve long since given up on CNN having even a smidgen of reporting left in its veins. They now focus on political gossip and infotainment, despite a once varnished record for the awesome job they did reporting the Gulf War.
But IOKIYAR.
Case closed.
P.S. What’s a “CNN”?
Paul, I don’t know — Brazile doesn’t work on DNC messaging to my knowledge. I don’t know how much of a role she has at all…
Brazile used to have a role with the DNC but not really anymore. She is like Rollins, as distinguished from Castellanos who is now the actual real live spokesperson for the organization. And it couldn’t possibly mean less who is paying him and who isn’t.
Castellanos should have been bounced when it came up that he was still lobbying for AHIP and the Chamber of Commerce and using CNN as his bully pulpit for his clients.
Yet another reason that this center-left nation trusts blogs more than cable and network news. The traditional media has 2 options: (i) do actual investigating and reporting instead of political gossip he said she said which could be performer by middle schoolers, or (ii) tiptoe through the daisies as a profession and have no one shed a tear. There is no third option.
Ajax — thanks for that. It’s what I thought. And I agree that the pay issue is meaningless. It all turns on the role he’ll play, which looks to be a big one…
Nothing like setting the bar high. The president:
said he would tell the American people about “a comprehensive strategy” embracing civilian and diplomatic efforts as well as the continuing military campaign.
and that it is his intention to “finish the job”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/us/politics/25policy.html?_r=1&hp
I’m not surprised by CNN’s decision to keep him around, I barely watch them anymore. What I like about your post is highlighting the way the DNC keeps hitting back. It keeps pressure on CNN and other cable channels to disclose who these people are and where their interests lie.
Andy, I hope he know what he’s doing. I’m still waiting to see how the funding will work out and of course hear the details.
I’m not sure I really worry about Castellano’s present positions or his income. I think all of we political junkies watch these shows and can tell from the get go which side of the aisle the “experts’ come from. I don’t worry any more about Castellanos than I’d expect QB to worry about Paul Begala. He knows Begala’s point of view and I know Castellanos’.
rukidding: I believe the issue several of us have is giving the spokesperson for the RNC a daily pedestal on a cable news network. I think there is an important distiction between “former RNC” and “Publican strategist” and “official spokesperson for the RNC”.
That being said, I think that having any partisan spokespersons on a news show is absolutely bad for America in that it spoon feeds opinions rather than allowing people to think for themselves (let alone the Jon Stewart Crossfire criticism about screaming heads being WWF rather than explanation/reporting on complicated topics).
Obvious example: healthcare is 20ish% of USA GDP. Most people know about Palin’s book and issues with her grandchild’s father, similar #s I would guess as know about the Paris Hilton tape and the like, but how many could actually define what “public option” means compared to how many have a definite opinion on whether they support or oppose it?
My take is that CNN saw Fox market share jump with lots of colors and screaming entertainers and decided to drop substance for show, to the detriment of the majority of America (ie, low information “independents” and “moderates” and “centrists”).
Begala, Castellanos, Brazile and that odd performing couple on John King’s show: Carville and Wife: this is political opera. Take a pinch of snuff, fellow commenters and do what I do: watch BBC World. By the way I only watch Fareed Zakaria and Amanpour on Sundays: they cater to an international audience so junk politics is out.. My lunch goes down well not having my stomach cope with the bilge of the talk shows.
Steve Benen has a good take on how insane this CNN decision is: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_11/021152.php
Apparently, Castellanos makes enough money doing media work for private health insurance companies and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that he’ll be unpaid for his work as the RNC’s senior communications adviser. And since Castellanos won’t literally be on the Republican National Committee’s payroll, CNN is entirely comfortable paying him to offer “political analysis” on the air.
And here I thought the ethical/professional lines had already been blurred too much. Now, CNN — you know, the network that has positioned itself as above the fray — will feature regular on-air commentary from the Republican National Committee’s new message/strategy guy.
Okay, here’s your big Afghanistan thread:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/afghanistan/obama-i-will-finish-the-job-in-afghanistan/
So, what happens when CNN wants Castellanos to offer his take on the next Steele gaffe?
@Ajax and Alan…I am in total agreement with your posts…especially Alan your point about Zakaria and Amanpour…perhaps the last of the true journalists on TV. I also think you are correct that their attempts at objectivity result from having an “international” target audience instead of the domestic audience that wants to be told what they want to hear (Faux News) not the truth.
I’m even finding the Sunday shows with Gregory and Stephanopolous irritating with all the false equivalency and giving any credibility to discussions of death panels and pulling the plug on Granny when our country desperately needs to have a serious debate on why we spend 50 BILLION a year on folks in the last two months of life…why we are letting 25 specialists look at a dying 85 year old lady and actually billing Medicare for a pap smear!!!
This is outrageous and why do they do it…. because they can and they enjoy the increased revenue.
to repeat myself
CNN doesn’t get the credit it deserves for launching the careers of both right wing racist Lou Dobbs AND the right wing mad hatter Glenn Beck.
As for Republican Alex Castellanos, he’s a vicious, nasty right wing troll.
That the Republican’s paid messenger is literally given a prominent position on Time-Warner’s CNN isn’t particularly surprising, but it does further illustrate how offensively false the liberal media attacks are.
There has never been any equivalent to CNN’s right wing racist Lou Dobbs nor any equivalent to CNN’s right wing murder fantasist Glenn Beck.
Even CNN’s “straight journalists” have right wing bents.
Zakaria is a fine journalist but he’s undeniably a “conservative”. And CNN’s John King is a right wing sycophant who regularly pushes Republican narratives.
One of the more illustrative moments of right wing sycophancy by CNN’s was his fluffer interview with Republican John McCain.
John King’s right wing sycophancy was rewarded by Time-Warner-CNN, the same CNN that promoted right wing extremists like Dobbs and Beck.
CNN is right wing corporate media that occasionally reports the news. Even then, it’s often Balloon Boy and entertainment news.
corrected
One of the more illustrative moments of right wing sycophancy by CNN’s John King was his fluffer interview with Republican John McCain.
John King’s right wing sycophancy was rewarded by Time-Warner-CNN, the same CNN that promoted right wing extremists like Dobbs and Beck.
CNN is right wing corporate media that occasionally reports the news. Even then, it’s often Balloon Boy and entertainment news.