Ed Morrissey:
When CNN rolled out the red carpet for Hillary Clinton’s town-hall interview with Christiane Amanpour, they did more than just build a set and invite an audience to participate. According to the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple, who attended the event, CNN warmed up the crowd for Hillary and even coached them on how to cheer and make noise to demonstrate enthusiasm for the former Secretary of State. Note the whoops at the beginning of the broadcast, and near the end of this clip when Amanpour asks about her decision on running for President — cheers that were part of the coaching Wemple reports:
To add “energy” to its show (attended by the Erik Wemple Blog), CNN deployed an enthusiastic stage director who coached the audience to applaud at various points throughout the broadcast — not in a partisan manner for Clinton, but for the sake of the town hall’s television optics. Approximately 15 minutes before the show, the producer ran the audience through a practice round of applause and noise-making. The results of the audience-prodding turn up in the show’s video.
Just how difficult was it for CNN to find a naturally enthusiastic audience, anyway? The event was staged in Washington DC, which as Wemple notes isn’t exactly a hotbed of conservative politics:
The event took place at the Newseum, which is on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington between the Capitol and the White House. The District is a blue jurisdiction that turned out 91 percent for President Obama in the 2012 election, and it’s surrounded by places like Arlington County, Va., and Montgomery County, Md. — also very blue spots.
If CNN is this worried about audience reaction to Hillary in this district, she’s in deep trouble indeed (as her less-than-enthusiastic ratings and book sales elsewhere indicate). So is CNN’s credibility, which Wemple skewers in his conclusion:
Well, CNN has announced (or at least discarded the pretense,) months ago that it is dropping it’s facade as a news reporting in favor of providing “entertainment” programming.
Hence the dog and pony show.
Bad sign when a friendly audience, and probably a hand-picked one, has to be pumped up. And, a bad sign when the book needed a 40% discount, out of the gate, to pump up sales.
Noticed the ‘demographics’ in the ‘audience’. I am wondering why is that? And who exactly makes up this audience ( or is it fake audience?) and how did they acquire them? What’s up with that CNN?
I hate when I keep hearing Shrilliary say “We are doing the best we can…” Ugh! and it seems no one on the left demands for them to ‘do better’. An expected mediocre response from mediocre people who now run our country and foreign affairs….it’s no wonder they pander for low information people/voters, this way it kind of makes them look smart…to the low information people… that is…
This Administration and their liberal base continually hold others to a standard much higher then they themselves are willing, or dare I say ‘can’ aspire to. But, they are terribly good a mucking things up for Everyone! They are great at creating a false ‘world’ and ‘world view’ all in the expedience of selfish political advancement, greed and even more power over people – Stunning!!
Were they afraid to be the first to stop clapping, like party members where when Stalin gave a speech?
These look like federal employees on extended break (paid I bet) to sit there and be the audience.
DC’s racial breakdown is NOT like this audience.
She looks to be acting concerned, humble and so on while repeating talking point after talking point.
Her book is down to #15 on Amazon today.
Of the reviews;
225 gave it 5 stars.
640 gave it one star.