CNN falsely labels Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam a 'Republican' during broadcast of his apology

On Friday night, a CNN on-screen graphic clearly labeled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam as a Republican at a pivotal moment. The segment was focused on the governor’s apology for a controversial, racially charged photograph which appeared on his profile page … On Friday night, a CNN on-screen … more >

By Jennifer Harper - The Washington Times - Saturday, February 2, 2019

Was it intentional? Many want to know.

On Friday night, a CNN on-screen graphic clearly labeled the Democratic governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, as a Republican at a pivotal moment. The segment, broadcast on “Anderson Cooper 360,” was focused on the governor’s apology for a controversial photograph which appeared on his personal page in an old yearbook.

The segment became instant news.

“How does this happen? CNN should apologize to their viewers,” tweeted Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the GOP, in the aftermath.

“CNN — the network that promotes the hashtag #FactsFirst — mislabeled embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam as a Republican on Friday during a segment about the Democrat’s apology for his racist 1984 medical school yearbook photo,” noted Fox News in its coverage.

The graphic was later corrected, but not before news organizations and media analysts took notice.

“The picture, which was first circulated by Big League Politics, was quickly confirmed first by the Hampton Roads-area newspaper The Virginian-Pilot and then The Washington Post plus the rest of the local and national news media,” wrote Curtis Houck, an analyst for NewsBusters.org.