CNN turned down an interview with Kellyanne Conway reportedly due to 'questions about her credibility'
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Kellyanne Conway may be the queen of spin, but she might have finally met her match: cable news.
Conway famously called White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's inaccurate statements about the crowd size at President Donald Trump's inauguration last month "alternative facts," and she more recently defended Trump's immigration order by citing the nonexistent "Bowling Green Massacre." "Honest mistakes abound," Conway defended, but CNN is apparently having none of it.
The network turned down an interview with Conway on Sunday out of what seemed at first like mere irritation over having been offered the presidential counselor in lieu of Vice President Mike Pence. But The New York Times reports that CNN's decision was also due to the fact that there are "serious questions" about Conway's "credibility."
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Many people have called for a ban on Conway's TV appearances due to her allegedly intentionally misleading answers. "Having Conway on is probably good for ratings, and it makes for an interesting meta-conversation: 'Oh, she said 'alternative facts!'" tweeted The New Yorker's James Surowiecki last month. "But news [organizations] are supposed to be in the businesses of helping viewers/readers understand what's true and what's not. Conversations with Conway don't do that … So just don't have her on."
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
