Gayle King and her present, “CBS Mornings,” have been going fairly onerous recently on selling her upcoming participation in an “all-female” flight into house subsequent month with Jeff Bezos’s fiancee Lauren Sanchez, aboard one of many billionaire’s Blue Origin rocket ships.
However King’s participation is being criticized by a variety of “CBS Mornings” followers, in addition to journalists, who query the ethics and integrity of King, and of CBS, as she and the community go together with what these critics say is a “PR stunt” on behalf of “oligarch” Bezos, his corporations and his public picture.
“I am so disappointed that you’re participating in this PR stunt by an oligarch,” one particular person mentioned on an Instagram submit shared by King late final month. “Where’s your integrity? How are we the public to trust you or CBS to report on Bezos’ gutting WaPo knowing he gave you a ride to space?”
“Your very own Gayle King is supporting a man shutting down free speech and a free press,” mentioned one other particular person, whereas one other yet one more identified: “You know what he stands for. That you are willingly participating is mind boggling and deeply disappointing.”
Critics say that Bezos is just not some impartial, nonpartisan enterprise chief providing cool rides into house. The billionaire proprietor of Amazon, the Washington Submit and Blue Origin has very a lot inserted himself into the present political discourse and turn out to be a polarizing nationwide public determine. He additionally wants to advertise his Blue Origin house know-how enterprise.
Bezos first tried to affect public opinion by killing the Submit’s ready-to-publish endorsement of Kamala Harris earlier than the Nov. 5 election. Since then, he has initiated a rightward tilt of the newspaper’s as soon as vaunted opinion part, in what departing Submit columnist Ruth Marcus mentioned is a bid “to cozy up to” and appease the brand new president by suppressing writers’ viewpoints.
Critics additionally notice that Bezos has been labeled by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, and lots of others on the left as certainly one of America’s new ruling class of oligarchs. In a speech on the Senate flooring, Sanders talked about how Bezos, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and tech moguls view themselves as “modern-day kings” who’ve embraced Trump’s election and even his transfer towards “authoritarianism” as a result of it advantages their capability to make more cash and wield cultural affect. Sanders and others additionally excoriated Bezos and Sanchez’s participation in Trump’s inauguration, creating what Marcus referred to as “a spectacle” of tycoons “arrayed like so many trophies behind the triumphant new president.”
Amid all these considerations about Bezos, the “oligarchy” and his “gutting” of the Submit, King has appeared in a number of segments on “CBS Mornings” to advertise Bezos’s Blue Origin, most just lately on Thursday, when she laughed and chit-chatted with 94-year-old “Star Trek” actor William Shatner about his 2021 trip on a Bezos rocket, Individuals reported.
King additionally has posted a number of social media messages, together with Friday, to advertise her flight into house, which is scheduled to happen April 14. She’ll be using with Sanchez, in addition to with Sanchez’s good good friend, singer Katy Perry, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and a number of other different ladies.
It’s not recognized whether or not Bezos is internet hosting King’s trip, with NBC reporting that tickets for the 11-minute Blue Origin journeys sometimes value within the six figures. If CBS paid for King’s ticket, one nonetheless has to surprise in regards to the information worth of an occasion that’s being criticized as a publicity stunt for a controversial public determine.
If Bezos is internet hosting King, former CNN media analyst Oliver Darcy wrote on his Standing Substack that this “freebie” trip would seem like “a conflict of interest.” Darcy famous that CBS Information has strict insurance policies in opposition to anchors accepting “bribes, gifts and freebies,” in order to keep away from a possible or perceived battle of curiosity.
The Society of Skilled Journalists Code of Ethics additionally says that journalists ought to attempt to behave independently by “avoiding conflicts of interest, real or perceived,” and by refusing “gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment.” In addition they ought to keep away from “political and other outside activities that may compromise integrity or impartiality or may damage credibility.”
Darcy requested who at CBS Information gave a inexperienced gentle to King’s journey. Representatives at CBS Information and CBS Mornings didn’t reply to an e-mail request from this information group searching for touch upon King’s house voyage or the decision-making behind it.
However viewers of “CBS Mornings” and self-described King followers had a lot to say on Instagram in late February. They accused King of displaying self-interest, lack of concern about press freedom and seeming complicity in Bezos and Sanchez’s efforts to garner optimistic publicity.
“I always stuck with ‘CBS Mornings’ but ‘GMA’ here I come,” a now-former King fan mentioned. “That you and the other participants can help this Trump supporter billionaire fulfill his dreams while he’s destroying the dreams of the working class is outrageous!”
“This is beyond disappointing,” one other particular person mentioned. “As a journalist, you would think Gayle would be concerned with the decisions Bezos has made with the Washington Post.”
This commenter additionally mentioned that King is able to make a distinction and stand on precept however as an alternative is “showing what matters most and it has nothing to do with those of us that have been supportive of her throughout her career. Another one bites the dust…bye Felicia.”
“How tone-deaf are you?” requested one other particular person. “Thanks for empowering billionaires and MAGA bull —- yet again. And no matter how you spin it, shame on you.”
Another person mentioned they have been disillusioned however not stunned by King’s actions: “This is who Gayle King is Just another celebrity journalist that can be bought. Nothing new to see here.”
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