Why Emily Wilder got fired and Chris Cuomo didn't

The mainstream media's real ethical red lines have nothing to do with objectivity

Chris Cuomo.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

It's been quite a week for media ethics. Emily Wilder, a recently-hired news associate for the Associated Press, was unceremoniously fired after conservative media and activist groups whipped up an outrage mob over her pro-Palestinian activism while she was in college. The reason was supposedly that she had violated the AP's social media policy while doing her job, though her bosses reportedly would not tell her which posts had done so.

Meanwhile, CNN's Chris Cuomo, who was recently found to have given his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, public relations advice over his numerous scandals, was given the kid-glove treatment. A CNN spokesman said he would not even be disciplined.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.