CNN Anchor's Smackdown: Bush Got Just as Warm a Welcome in Africa as Obama

Newsbusters ^ | July 13, 2009 | el Sheppard

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Future attorneys are taught in law school to never ask a witness a question they don't already know the answer to. On Saturday, CNN's Don Lemon learned this lesson the hard way.

Well after President Obama finished his speech in Ghana, Lemon was speaking live to correspondent Nkepile Mabuse who was reporting on location.

When Lemon asked whether the warm reception Obama received upon his arrival Friday was unprecedented, Mabuse caught him quite off guard with her response.

Pay particular attention to Lemon's body language when Mabuse says, "It's not unprecedented. When President Bush was here, you will remember, in February, there were people who were drumming, there were dances, and President Bush joined some of them"

[SampleMan]

Her last appearance on CNN. Doesn’t she understand a pre-answered question when she’s asked one? Stupid African.

[Red in Blue PA]

Uh Oh! Looks like we need a new Script Czar and a larger budget for the Script Printing Presses!

[cripplecreek]

I noticed that Zero praised Bush for the work done on AIDS in Africa and I doubt he would have given praise if he thought he could omit it.

[Darkwolf377]

LOL! That is funny. I love a woman who won't be cowed into just going along with a guy because he's a "big powerful American TV person".

And she's fun to look at. :)

[Loyal Buckeye]

She is very refreshing, unlike 99.9% of our reporter/reporterettes.

[Dr. Ursus]

Educated African woman verses American token black.No contest!

[SlowBoat407]

Wow. He looked like his heart stopped for a moment. I wonder what we he was doing when they cut away from the split screen. I can picture him throwing up his hands and mouthing, “Wha.... wha...?”

[Quiller]

And at the end, Lemon recovers by diminishing Bush in the only way he can -- "So it doesn't matter, they welcome everyone in this matter, that's just how they do it."

Yep, loved the setback and quick cut away from the sh-anchor.

[thefrankbaum]

Educated African woman verses American token black.No contest!

You know, that reminds me of some trends I've seen recent, with actual data backing it up. We hear about how blacks are not as socially mobile as whites, get stuck in poverty, etc. However, when the black community is broken into various constituent parts (i.e. those whose families have been in the US for generations v. recent immigrants), it is only the former who are generally stuck, with recent immigrants moving upward socially in the same manner as the Irish, Italians, etc. That video is a case in point - the anchor is entitled to his position, where the reporter worked to reach hers. You tell me which you'd rather have.

[freekitty]

I liked her. Sounds like a good representative of her country.

[reagan_fanatic]

And at the end, Lemon recovers by diminishing Bush in the only way he can -- "So it doesn't matter, they welcome everyone in this matter, that's just how they do it."

I love the smarmy look he got on his face when he said that - you could almost feel the condescension dripping from his pores. LIberals are so transparent.

[Eroteme]

Saw it. Loved it. The smackdown was way overdue for Lemon, who has a penchant for trying to put words in the interviewee's mouth. He sets up the question by stating his own unsubstantiated opinion as fact, then tacks a question on the end of the false premise. Typically, the guest or correspondent either accepts the false premise or dances around it, leaving Lemon's idea planted in the viewers' minds--which, of course, is the whole point of his manipulative technique.

Lemon does this way too often for it to be mere sloppiness. It's habitual and obvious. CNN's failure to call him on his wholly unprofessional "journalistic" style can only be taken as endorsement. Nkepile Mabuse evidently understands what CNN and Lemon do not: journalism is supposed to be about fact.

[monkapotamus]

"Pay particular attention to Lemon's body language when Mabuse says, "It's not unprecedented. When President Bush was here, you will remember, in February, there were people who were drumming, there were dances, and President Bush joined some of them"

[vetvetdoug]

Where's Shuster? Ms. Mabuse’s response was racist. Don't the Africans know that any slight of Obama or his family is racist?

[Mountain Troll]

Every African I’ve met despises American blacks.

[AnnaZ]

Love it!! Stolen!!

[BenKenobi]

Exactly why I love FD!

Paper here is about 300 bucks a day. Here you get better coverage.