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Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined a growing group of CNN progressives and critics after Politico reported that the network had hired Sarah Isgur, a GOP official who served as spokesperson for Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, as political editor.
"Sorry, I have not received the last memo after 1,000 experienced + qualified journalists from all parties were released without warning a few weeks ago and still looking for a job: let's pretend- we always like hires like these are proof of a meritocracy? "Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday night, likely evoking recent layoffs at BuzzFeed News, Verizon, Vice Media and elsewhere.
Isgur is a long-time GOP agent who previously held the position of deputy campaign manager of Carly Fiorina in 2016 and who has no previous experience in journalism or in a news network.
She criticized CNN in the past, call she worked for the "Clinton News Network" in 2014. And she worked for a president who waged a multi-year battle against the network, regularly calling it "false news" and "bad news".the enemy of the American people. "
As a political editor at CNN, Isgur will coordinate coverage of the 2020 presidential campaign and will work alongside more than a dozen other editors, announced CNN's Brian Stelter. She will not participate in DOJ coverage, Politico reported.
Before his election, Isgur had criticized Trump before calling the criminal prosecution against Hillary Clinton during an election campaign in October 2016 "terrifying and dangerous". tweet. Trump reportedly resisted hiring Isgur in early 2017, but gave way after Isgur assured his loyalty to the president at an oval bureau meeting.
It is not uncommon for news networks to recruit former political agents to comment and host programs.
Joe Scarborough, former GOP Congressman, and Lawrence O Donnell, former Democratic Senate member, Dana Perino of Fox News, White House press secretary under George W. Bush, and George Stephanopoulos, of the ABC chain, at the White House, are some outstanding examples. Director of Communications under the chairmanship of Bill Clinton.
But it is less common that former political agents with no experience in the press run political coverage behind the scenes.
Progressive critics have criticized the online rental.
Margaret Sullivan, former New York Times public columnist, Washington Post media columnist called the movement "even worse than it seems."
"If you're trying to deepen understanding, narrow the gap or make great journalism, it's one of the last things you would do," Sullivan wrote in a Wednesday column. She added that this "makes even less sense" given the number of journalists currently unemployed.
And some CNN employees would be concerned about the recruitment of Isgur.
"It's extremely demoralizing for everyone here," said a CNN staff member at the Daily Beast.
A CNN editor told Stelter: "We hired a former Trump administration to help us" steer "our coverage of his reelection, and journalists have a crush on that."
CNN leaders defended their decision, congratulating Isgur and insisting that his deep experience of GOP policy will improve the network's relationship.
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