Everybody knew there was a conflict with George - it was no secret that George worked for Clinton, and there was some concern about that when he first joined ABC, but once he switched from political operative to journalist, he never stood at the pulpit to offer up a full-throated defense of the Clintons. And while he clearly has a liberal bias at times, he's still a good reporter.
Contrast that with Hanitty, who is not a journalist and does no reporting and who deliberately hid his relationship with Cohen while vehemently defending Cohen against the DOJ. According to Cohen's lawyer, Hannity specifically asked that his name not be revealed; Hannity denies that, so which side is lying?
Every reputable news agency has some form of standards and practices controlling the behavior of its employees, whether it's a an actual department staffed by people or just a manual, and there are consequences for violating those rules. All have disclosure requirements so that the audience knows if there's a relationship with the person or entity being reported on.
I am not a fan of Fox News, but they have some serious journalists I respect for their integrity, such as John Roberts. They also have talking heads like Hannity and Tucker Carlson who are NOT journalists and are only there to spout personal opinion that fits the message Fox is trying to sell. Even the talking heads should be held to standards and practices. |
