Media vs. Trump: when CNN dots the I’s

We’re often being told that CNN is fully and unconditionally against Donald Trump, and appears to be the embodiment of the “mainstream media” waging a war against the President of the United States. However, the channel surprised the media community by cutting the ties with one of its commentators for his abusive statements. 

Indeed, Reza Aslan was fired by CNN after posting tweets in which he called President Trump a « piece of shit ». Though Aslan apologized, saying he didn’t mean it and “responded in a derogatory fashion”, the channel didn’t seem to be paying attention. This is the second time the channel decides to fire its workers because of controversial statements about Donald Trump. Earlier this month, CNN ceased its partnership with Kathy Griffin, who posted a video with a fake head of Donald Trump. Griffin also admitted she went too far, which didn’t make CNN change its mind.

The reactions on the Internet following this event have been contrasted. Some approved this decision, saying that this war might be emotional and cruel, but there should still be some lines not to be crossed, and a certain sense of ethics should remain. Others feared a form of censorship directed against Trump’s critics, and appealed to the principle of free speech.

The funniest thing is that conservative journalist Sean Hannity took the second stance, deploring Aslan’s dismissal. It is interesting to note that Hannity has also been called “a piece of shit” by Aslan in a tweet. We can now doubt about the richness of Aslan’s vocabulary. Can’t we?