A CNN segment featuring anchor Abby Phillip and political commentator Scott Jennings took a confrontational turn during a discussion on declining trust in the mainstream media.
Jennings, a former advisor in the George W. Bush administration and a CNN contributor, pushed back strongly against suggestions that media trust issues are the result of partisan attacks rather than editorial missteps.
During the segment, which aired earlier this week, the panel discussed polling data showing continued declines in public confidence in legacy media outlets.
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Phillip raised the argument that a growing narrative — fueled by Republican politicians — has contributed to undermining trust in journalism.
Jennings disagreed and pointed to a series of factual errors and editorial decisions by major networks over the past decade as the real cause behind the credibility gap.
“The liberal media caused this debacle,” Jennings said, referring to repeated instances where major outlets reported stories about Donald Trump and his administration that later turned out to be inaccurate or misleading.
Although the segment began with a broad discussion on political messaging, it quickly escalated into a pointed critique of how media organizations, including CNN, have handled coverage of President Donald Trump.
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Jennings cited specific examples of discredited or controversial reporting, such as the early coverage of the so-called Russia collusion narrative and other stories that had to be walked back or clarified.
Phillip acknowledged that there has been criticism of mainstream media from both the right and the left but emphasized that the press remains under significant scrutiny from Republican officials.
She argued that the sustained attacks have damaged the public’s perception of the press and shaped partisan distrust.
Jennings countered that the decline in trust is not just about Republican messaging, but also about documented editorial decisions — including incidents where stories were edited, retracted, or later contradicted by facts.
“The media is under attack—that’s the takeaway?” Jennings asked during the discussion.
“It wasn’t the Russian collusion hoax, or CBS News editing segments of Kamala Harris’ 60 Minutes interview?”
He went on to cite multiple high-profile media corrections or controversies, including the mistaken reporting that the Martin Luther King Jr. bust had been removed from the Oval Office during Trump’s presidency — a claim that was later disproven.
Jennings also noted the absence of sustained mainstream media coverage on issues such as Joe Biden’s cognitive fitness, a topic that has gained attention primarily from conservative outlets and on social media.
While the president’s debate performance with Trump prompted some temporary media attention, Jennings argued that the issue has largely been avoided or downplayed by networks that consistently favor Democratic narratives.
“There are also a fair number of progressives who erroneously think the legacy press is untrustworthy for not attacking Trump hard enough,” Jennings added.
“Most of this could be resolved if outlets openly admitted they support Democrats.”
🚨🔥”ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” | Scott Jennings BLASTS legacy media for their “narrative over facts” agenda —
— as Abby Phillip emphatically insists that their cratering credibility is NOT the fault of legacy media itself.
To her, right-wing rhetoric is to blame.
Jennings wasn’t… pic.twitter.com/H88m6ylpQi
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) April 23, 2025
While CNN has yet to issue any formal statement following the on-air exchange, the clip has gained traction online as another example of growing tensions between media commentators and network hosts over editorial bias and the public’s perception of the press.
The segment reflected a broader trend in which political media outlets continue to face scrutiny from both sides of the political spectrum over accuracy, impartiality, and transparency in reporting.
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