A CNN host, a political scandal, and a journalistic conundrum

CNN has a Chris Cuomo problem. Again.

Earlier this week, new documents revealed that the pugnacious pundit had played a central role in advising his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, throughout a sexual misconduct scandal that ultimately toppled him.

Chris Cuomo, according to interviews with investigators with the New York attorney general’s office, even reached out to his journalistic “sources” to see whether additional accusers planned to come forward against the powerful state politician. The CNN host claimed to have a lead on one of his brother’s accusers and drafted a defiant statement for Andrew Cuomo as the controversy swirled.

Back in August, when Chris Cuomo’s role in the saga initially became apparent, the cable host admitted it had been a “mistake” to advise his brother on the scandal.

Initially it seemed as though Chris might skate through the scandal. On his Monday primetime programme, the host made no mention of the new revelations, apparently holding fast on a pledge he had made over the summer that his earlier comments were his “final word” on the matter.

But a flurry of bad headlines proved too damaging, and CNN finally took action on Tuesday evening, suspending the host indefinitely and admitting that the documents raised “serious questions”. The network said the suspension had been put in place “pending further evaluation” of the documents.

However, in the same statement, CNN said it “appreciated the unique position [Chris Cuomo] was in and understood his need to put family first and job second”.

That’s much more latitude than scores of rank-and-file journalists at CNN are likely to enjoy. Most news organisations have hard and fast rules forbidding journalists from becoming part of the story. Donating money to political candidates and campaigns? Strictly forbidden. Advising a sitting governor on a national scandal? Apparently not.

Chris Cuomo’s involvement in a story that CNN was actively covering undermines the good work of his colleagues, especially those without multimillion-dollar salaries, who see their star journalist colleagues as role models and mentors.

There’s no official regulatory agency enforcing ethics in newsrooms across the US, nor is there an investigative body that operates like Ofcom does in the UK. As a profession, we police our own. Suspension is a good first step, but CNN should take a look at its own internal policies that allowed Chris Cuomo to remain in the anchor chair months after his role in the Andrew Cuomo scandal became clear.

I don’t relish any reporter losing their livelihood. But in a hyper-partisan political climate, with declining public trust in journalism, it’s more important than ever that we do our jobs transparently and hold ourselves to the same standards we set for people in power.

Yours,

David Taintor

Senior news editor (US)