CNN chief Jeff Zucker may have to eat crow after blasting Fox News as a bullhorn for the White House. Unconvinced pundits have noted that the media executive gave Donald Trump a huge platform by enlisting him for ‘The Apprentice.’
Speaking at the South by Southwest Festival on Saturday, Zucker argued that the Democratic National Committee is under no obligation to allow Fox to host a presidential primary debate – describing the rival network as a mouthpiece for the Trump administration.
“I think the question should be, is Fox state-run TV or is the White House state-run government by Fox TV?” he mused, characterizing Fox as a “propaganda network” that enjoys a “completely symbiotic” relationship with the White House.
Also on rt.com CNN chief who unleashed Trump on world with 'Apprentice' hints at presidential runHis jab at Fox didn’t sit well with commentators, however. Zucker, many argued, wasn’t in a position to chide others for providing a platform for Donald Trump.
“Fox is a horrible blight on democracy… But let’s not discount Zucker’s role in building Trump. Zucker was behind The Apprentice. Zucker/CNN gave Trump ridiculous airtime in 2016,” wrote businessman Rakesh Agrawal.
As the former president of NBC, Zucker was responsible for signing Trump for the hit reality show ‘The Apprentice’ – seen by many as the springboard which made his rapid rise in politics possible.
Others argued that Zucker and CNN have been equally damaging to America’s political discourse.
This isn’t the first time CNN’s president has taken aim at Fox. In comments made last year, Zucker attacked the network as a “propaganda machine” that “does a disservice to the country.”
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