Journalisms: CNN Denies Complaining Morning Show Audience Was Too Ethnic

CNN is denying reports published in the blog Fishbowl/DC that one of its executives complained the viewership for the “Early Start” and “Starting Point” programs was “too ethnic.” The remarks were attributed to the cable network’s Senior Vice President Bart Feder.

Fishbowl/DC blogger Betsy Rothstein reported the remarks caused a firestorm within CNN and made its up to CNN’s Diversity Committee.

“The quotes attributed to Bart Feder in the FishbowlDC’s blog are false,” CNN Spokesperson Christal Jones told Journal-isms in an email. She did not respond to follow up questions from Journas-isms.

Later, Rothstein updated her report in Fishbowl: To clarify, Feder’s issue with ‘Starting Point’ was that the audience was too small and happened to be predominately comprised of minorities. A source close to the show insists that the ethnicity of the audience was never the issue, it was the size. Feder in no way meant to imply that the audience was too ethnic.”