CNN reports that Vice President Mike Pence’s office says it will ban top health officials from appearing on CNN to discuss the novel coronavirus unless the network carries the White House’s 2+ hour daily disinformation briefings in full.
“When you guys cover the briefings with the health officials then you can expect them back on your air,” a Pence spokesperson told CNN.
From CNN‘s Oliver Darcy:
Pence’s office, which is responsible for booking the officials on networks during the pandemic, said it will only allow experts such as Dr. Deborah Birx or Dr. Anthony Fauci to appear on CNN if the network televises the portion of the White House briefings that includes the vice president and other coronavirus task force members.
CNN often only broadcasts President Donald Trump’s question and answer session, which sometimes includes the health care officials, live on-air.
After Trump leaves the podium, CNN frequently cuts out of the White House briefing to discuss and fact-check what the President had said. A CNN executive said that the network usually returns to such programming because of the extensive length of the full briefing that includes Pence, which can run in excess of two hours.
CNN did, however, air the vice president’s portion of the briefing Wednesday night. Regardless, Pence’s office has declined to make the nation’s top health care officials available to CNN for the last seven days.
(…) Fauci, Birx, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Surgeon General Jerome Adams have all appeared on NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox during the last week, despite the fact that the broadcast networks have generally not covered the briefings that have included the vice president and health officials. But the Vice President’s office has blocked all CNN appearances since last Thursday night.
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Pence’s office blocks public health officials from appearing on CNN