Former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien criticized her former network on Tuesday, taking to Twitter to blast a piece written by reporter Chris Cillizza.
“This terrible analysis by @CillizzaCNN is in part why people hate the media,” she said tweeting out a link to Cillizza’s recent article “Donald Trump is Producing the Greatest Reality Show Ever.”
The tweet swiftly took off and by Wednesday morning, it racked up more than 2,100 retweets and thousands of likes.
This terrible analysis by @CillizzaCNN is in part why people hate the media. https://t.co/xxRcAspyC1
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) March 7, 2018
Cillizza responded on Twitter, demanding an explanation from O’Brien for her harsh commentary.
“Hey Soledad! Thanks as always for reading,” he said quote-tweeting the original brutal critique.
https://twitter.com/CillizzaCNN/status/971217408601001984
The two then engaged in a testy exchange where Cillizza said he could not comprehend how someone would dislike the piece if they actually read it, and O’Brien added supporting details to her critique.
“It’s not accurate. It’s not funny. It’s not clever. It’s not analysis. It’s facile,” she said. “It shows an actual lack of understanding of reality tv (can’t believe I’m typing that). It’s mediocre. It’s a time when viewers need to understand what’s going on at the highest levels of govt.”
O’Brien, once a network staple and host of the program “Starting Point,” left CNN in 2013. She declined to offer additional comment to TheWrap.
You can read the play-by-play below.
You’re welcome. You have a big platform, be thoughtful about the stories you tell and how you tell them.
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) March 7, 2018
Did you actually read the piece? Or just make assumptions on the headline?
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) March 7, 2018
Read the whole thing.
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) March 7, 2018
Then I really don’t get your criticism.
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) March 7, 2018
The only way my criticism would make sense is if I didn’t read your article? *sigh*.
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) March 7, 2018
No. I simply have no idea what your criticism is.
That the piece is “terrible”? I suppose that’s subjective so, ok, I guess.
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) March 7, 2018
It’s not accurate. It’s not funny. It’s not clever. It’s not analysis. It’s facile. It shows an actual lack of understanding of reality tv (can’t believe I’m typing that). It’s mediocre. It’s a time when viewers need to understand what’s going on at the highest levels of govt.
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) March 7, 2018
Genuinely sorry you feel that way. But appreciate your candor.
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) March 7, 2018
For what it’s worth, the actual article from Cillizza supports its headline.
“The truth is that even Mark Burnett couldn’t create such a high-profile reality show with this much drama, this many personalities and this high of stakes. This is a project only Donald Trump could make happen,” he writes.
“Trump is betting that in a few years enough people will vote to renew the show, captivated by what possibly could come around the corner next — whether they can admit to themselves how much they like the show.”