In a terse account, CNN reported this morning that two people at the GOP convention in Tampa threw nuts at a black camerawoman employed by CNN last night, yelling at her, “This is how we feed animals.” They were later ejected and condemned by convention organizers.
The rest of the story? Who were they? Were they delegates? Were they high-ranking Republicans or lowlifes who made it into the convention? Will CNN or anyone else take any kind of action against them? Don’t know, because CNN is saying it will “have no further comment,” and no more details have emerged.
Washington Post media blogger Erik Wemple says no criminal charges will be filed. But CNN should report more fully, Wemple says (and a chorus of bloggers agrees).
How will the network balance a workplace issue — someone on the job enduring an insulting outburst — with a matter of public interest? Resolving that conflict must start with the preferences of the crew person. But the presumption should fall in favor of doing the story in all of its detail, regardless of whether the details are more or less damaging than what’s been reported.
The Post’s Greg Sargent agrees, saying the network is in an awkward position, but it should report the news fully.