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#ExposeCBS Puts an Ugly Stain on the Network’s Crumbling Reputation

Last Updated September 25, 2020 8:41 PM
Bernadette Giacomazzo
Last Updated September 25, 2020 8:41 PM
  • #ExposeCBS claims the network faked a COVID-19 testing line.
  • This isn’t the first time CBS has come under fire for “fake news.”
  • The networks must stop chasing ratings and start reporting the facts.

#ExposeCBS is currently trending on Twitter, and it goes without saying that things aren’t looking good for the network.

According to Project Veritas, CBS staged a fake COVID-19 testing line on their morning show, CBS This Morning. The outlet is also reporting that CBS did so at the expense of genuine patients waiting for COVID-19 testing.

Project Veritas has its own credibility issues — they’re known chiefly as a “right-wing activist group .” But thanks to the #ExposeCBS hashtag, CBS subsequently admitted that they’ve “removed”  the questionable segment from their broadcasts.

CBS News did not stage anything at the Cherry Health facility. Any suggestion to the contrary is 100% false. These allegations are alarming. We reached out to Cherry Health to address them immediately. They informed us for the first time that one of their chief officers told at least one staffer to get in the testing line along with real patients. No one from CBS News had any knowledge of this before tonight. They also said that their actions did not prevent any actual patients from being tested. We take the accuracy of our reporting very seriously and we are removing the Cherry Health portion from the piece.

This isn’t the first time the network has engaged in questionable news practices.

#ExposeCBS And The Case Of The Italian Hospital Footage

#ExposeCBS
Source: Twitter 

Last month, CBS showed footage of a hospital overflowing with coronavirus patients. The network reported that this footage was from a New York City hospital. But it was actually footage from an Italian hospital.

While the #ExposeCBS hashtag didn’t trend at the time, CBS was forced to issue a retraction  for their shoddy reporting.

It was an editing mistake. We took immediate steps to remove it from all platforms and shows.

The ‘Fake Nurse’ Story

Illinois nurse Imaris Vera claimed she quit her job due to the lack of available PPE equipment for healthcare workers.

But after the clip went viral, people questioned its authenticity.

This forced CBS to issue yet another “clarification”  when Vera’s claims were subsequently debunked by Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois.

Neither Vera nor CBS issued a follow-up comment, however.

Do Better, CBS.

News journalists have a special responsibility: report the truth. That truth reporting also means to report without bias or personal slant.

It is absolutely odious when President Donald Trump refers to journalism as “fake news.” But networks like CBS must stop justifying his outbursts.


Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.