CNN came to the defense of anchor Kaitlan Collins amid criticism of her handling of former President Donald Trump's town hall on Wednesday.
The news network issued a statement of support for Collins, who Trump attacked during the event as a "nasty person."
"Tonight Kaitlan Collins exemplified what it means to be a world-class journalist," the network said. "She asked tough, fair and revealing questions. And she followed up and fact-checked President Trump in real time to arm voters with crucial information about his positions as he enters the 2024 election as the Republican frontrunner. That is CNN's role and responsibility: to get answers and hold the powerful to account."
Network CEO Chris Licht extended this support in an editorial meeting Thursday morning, according to former CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter. Licht praised Collins for her "masterful performance last night," saying that he "couldn't be more proud of her."
"You do not have to like the former president's answers, but you can't say that we didn't get them," Licht reportedly told staffers, many of whom are upset about the event. "Kaitlan pressed him again and again and made news. Made a LOT of news... that is our job."
"You do not have to like the former president's answers, but you can't say that we didn't get them," Licht tells staffers, many of whom are angry about the town hall. "Kaitlan pressed him again and again and made news. Made a LOT of news." And "that is our job."
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 11, 2023
Though some criticized Collins for her inability to fact-check all of Trump's false claims, many other media personalities heralded her for being able to correct him at all.
New York Times White House correspondent Peter Baker gave Collins "props" for navigating the "impossible position" she was in during the town hall.
"Props to @kaitlancollins who was in an impossible position but did a heroic job of fact-checking Trump throughout the town hall. No easy task given how many factually untrue things he said in such a short time. Collins was a true pro and showed what a stellar journalist she is," he tweeted.
Props to @kaitlancollins who was in an impossible position but did a heroic job of fact-checking Trump throughout the town hall. No easy task given how many factually untrue things he said in such a short time. Collins was a true pro and showed what a stellar journalist she is.
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) May 11, 2023
CNN anchor Poppy Harlow praised Collins' objectivity in the town hall and rejected pro-Trump analyst David Urban's attempt to compare the event to a hypothetical Fox News one for President Joe Biden during CNN "This Morning" on Thursday.
During the show, Harlow and co-anchor Phil Mattingly discussed the town hall alongside Urban and CNN analysts Maggie Haberman and Van Jones, according to Mediaite.
Haberman praised Collins for getting Trump to comment on subjects "we have not heard him talk about" while Jones compared Collins to "a matador against the biggest bull in American history" who "put a lot of knives in."
Urban responded to Haberman's point, saying that Trump and other Republicans "got what they needed" out of the event and that CNN doesn't offer Trump "a friendly environment."
"Y'know I kind of joked that you would never see Joe Biden wading into Fox News, a debate," Urban added.
Harlow then called Urban's analogy an unfair comparison and advised him to "not make it" when he attempted to clarify. As Urban continued to toil with his use of the word "unfriendly," Jones jumped in.
"Oh, that was a friendly audience, buddy!" Jones said in response.
"I also think you can't get a more objective journalist and interviewer than Kaitlan Collins," Harlow added.
In a Thursday op-ed for Courier Newsroom, former Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times editor Mark Jacobs envisioned what Wednesday's town hall should have looked like, imagining a "Truth Buzzer" that interjected Trump's claims with fact-checks and giving Collins some credit for her moderation during the actual event.
"CNN's Collins was forced to challenge Trump's lies all by herself. She pushed back in some cases, but the lies kept coming, ultimately exhausting and overwhelming her," he wrote, adding, "She was no match for the most energetic liar in American history."
“CNN’s Collins was forced to challenge Trump’s lies all by herself. She pushed back in some cases, but the lies kept coming, ultimately exhausting and overwhelming her..She was no match for the most energetic liar in American history”- @MarkJacob16 https://t.co/bHW0qBjwZS
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 11, 2023
Collins, a former reporter for the right-wing Daily Caller who now anchors CNN's morning show, is expected to be offered a contract to take over fired anchor Don Lemon's 9 pm slot, according to Puck News.
"Kaitlan's offer is not contingent on her performance at tonight's town hall, but, given the Trump X-factor, those 90 minutes have the potential to modify, accelerate, or stifle the arc of her career," the outlet reported on Wednesday. "At the very least, her performance tonight will set the tone for a new Collins era at CNN, which, barring any f**k-ups, will run at least through the 2024 presidential election."
