CNN chief: Alex Jones interview worthy, but NBC mishandled
NEW YORK — Some top people at CNN have come to Megyn Kelly’s defence in the wake of criticism she’s received for interviewing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, but say NBC News hasn’t done itself any favours.
NBC’s handling of the interview, scheduled to air on Kelly’s newsmagazine at 7 p.m. EDT Sunday, has given fuel to the backlash against her, said Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide, on Thursday.
Kelly has been attacked for interviewing the “Infowars” host, primarily because he has questioned whether the shooting that killed 26 people at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 was a hoax. Some parents of children killed in Newtown said NBC shouldn’t feature Jones. An anti-gun violence group founded by Sandy Hook parents dropped Kelly as a host for one of its events.
Her interview quickly became a topic of discussion at a news conference CNN held to promote its morning show, “New Day.” Zucker and the show’s anchors, Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota, said Jones is a newsworthy subject for an interview because he has President Donald Trump’s ear.