CNN's Chris Cuomo said he won't cover allegations about his brother Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but his colleagues will
CNN
- CNN's Chris Cuomo won't be covering news on his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, he said.
- Gov. Cuomo has been accused of harassment and is under scrutiny for his handling of COVID-19 data.
- "Obviously, I cannot cover it, because he is my brother," the anchor told his audience Monday.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo told his viewers Monday that he won't be covering allegations made about his older brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but that the rest of the network would.
New York Gov. Cuomo has been accused by three women of making unwanted advances towards them, including two former staffers. He is now facing calls from lawmakers to step down.
He is also under intense scrutiny for his handling of COVID-19 data. In January, New York Attorney General Letitia James accused him of under-counting nursing home deaths by as much as half.
This was followed in February by reports that his administration withheld those numbers over fears the report might be used in an investigation - which led to calls for him to be stripped of his emergency powers.
Chris, who hosts the weeknight "Cuomo Prime Time" show, addressed the issue on Monday.
"Obviously, I'm aware of what's going on with my brother," he said. "And obviously, I cannot cover it, because he is my brother. Now, of course, CNN has to cover it. They have covered it, extensively, and they will continue to do so."
—Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 2, 2021
He continued by saying he cares "deeply" about the issues involved, but that he would be using his show to look at other news.
Media commentators have accused the anchor of having a conflict of interest in former coverage of his brother, having conducted several friendly interviews with him over the last year.
A network ban on interviews between the two - in place since 2013 - was lifted in March last year as New York emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19, making coverage of the city a major news item, according to The New York Times. Further, at the end of March, the governor tested positive for the virus.
The network told The Washington Post in February that it had taken the decision due to it being an "extraordinary time."
"We felt that Chris speaking with his brother about the challenges of what millions of American families were struggling with was of significant human interest," a CNN spokesperson said.
The one-one-one interviews, focusing on Andrew Cuomo's response to the pandemic, raised eyebrows across the media spectrum, according to Mediaite.
CNN/YouTube
Washington Post media critic Eric Wemple said the coverage was "over-the-top praise when the governor is up; silence when he's down." Former CNN digital producer Steve Krakauer told Fox News it was a "conflict of interest."
In a June interview, Chris Cuomo hailed his brother as "the best politician in the country," adding: "Of course, I'm not objective," Mediaite reported.
—Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) June 25, 2020
CNN did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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