Cuomo Admits ABC Had BANNED Them Wearing American Flag Pins After 9/11

Since being employed by NewsNation, anchor Chris Cuomo has had a noticeable change in how he talks concerning the media on his eponymous present. And through a dialog with Ian Bremmer of the Eurasia Group Wednesday night time, Cuomo recalled his time at ABC Information post-September eleventh (earlier than going to CNN) and admitted that the community had banned its reporters from sporting and displaying American flag pins on the lapels of their jackets after they appeared on-air.

Cuomo’s reminiscence of the ban appeared to be jogged by present criticism of how he makes use of the phrase “we” when speaking about America. “It is fascinating. , I’ve had individuals for the primary time since 9/11 within the Battle on Terror. Individuals have been commenting on social media that I should not say ‘we’ once we discuss America,” he mentioned.

Flaunting an apparently new-found defiance of company media guidelines, he then recalled how ABC had ordered a ban on American flag pins:

I wasn’t allowed to say this then, however I simply do not care now. I’m an American and I report as an American and I take into consideration America’s pursuits once I assist. , again on 9/11, they would not allow us to – at ABC Information – the place a flag pin. I at all times thought that was mistaken. I am an American.

“I am fearful concerning the American hostages; I’m fearful about our pursuits. And that is one facet of why I care,” he added, circling again to the present conflict between Israel and Hamas.

A Snopes “truth test” titled “Did ABC Information Ban Flag Lapel Pins?” printed on October 8, 2001, claimed the suggestion was “false.” “Misunderstandings about prior coverage led to the rumor that ABC had banned their on-air information personnel from sporting American flag pins after 9/11,” the sub-headline learn.

Snopes had spoken to then-ABC Information senior vp Jeffrey Schneider who informed the web site that that they had a longstanding ban on lapel pins generally. “And we would lengthy had a coverage at ABC Information that we would not let individuals put on any lapel pins of any type. The idea being that whenever you’re reporting the information, you have to be reporting the information, not taking a place,” he asserted.

However that’s not true.

A deep dive into the Media Analysis Heart’s archive turned up fascinating perception from the late Cokie Roberts. In an MRC publish from October 11, 2001 – three days after Snopes claimed the story was “false” – Roberts bragged to David Letterman about how she circumvents the flag pin bag.

“Since there’s a debate about it ABC has determined that we should not be sporting flags, so I put on an eagle,” she informed Letterman when straight requested concerning the ban.

So, if Roberts was allowed to put on a lapel pin of an eagle, that meant there was no ban on lapel pins extra broadly, which meant Snopes’ “fact-check” of “false” was false. There have been no blatantly obvious efforts to right or replace their preliminary fact-check within the publish itself.

And ABC wasn’t alone in banning their reporters from sporting American flag pins. Elsewhere within the MRC’s archive, NBC Information was additionally responsible of banning the pins. “NBC Information President Neal Shapiro mentioned reporters sporting flag lapel pins on air runs the danger ‘of calling consideration to what they’re sporting and never their story,’” USA At this time reported on the time.

And in March 2002, then-PBS media reporter Terence Smith pressed then-CNN chairman Walter Isaacson on the flag pins being a type of “jingoism within the press” and that “the information media went overboard” in being too pro-America after 9/11.

The transcript is under.

NewsNation’s CuomoOctober 25, 20238:21:06 P.M. Japanese

(…)

CHRIS CUOMO: It is fascinating. , I’ve had individuals for the primary time since 9/11 within the Battle on Terror. Individuals have been commenting on social media that I should not say “we” once we discuss America.

I wasn’t allowed to say this then, however I simply do not care now. I’m an American and I report as an American and I take into consideration America’s pursuits once I assist. , again on 9/11, they would not allow us to – at ABC Information – the place a flag pin. I at all times thought that was mistaken. I am an American. I am fearful concerning the American hostages; I’m fearful about our pursuits. And that is one facet of why I care.

(…)