CNN is "news, corrupted."  Seriously, the people over there are rejecting actual news because it doesn't support their manufactured "narrative," turning down a report they themselves commissioned from local station KUSI because they didn't like the facts-on-the-ground the report contained – or, more likely, the bigger fact on the ground that the local report supports the stance of a president who says and shows by numbers that there really is a crisis at our border.  The network President Trump calls "fake news" can't let that San Diego report get out.

Here's the top story today on The Hill:

"Thursday morning, CNN called the KUSI Newsroom asking if one of our reporters could give them a local view of the debate surrounding the border wall and government shutdown," a report by KUSI, an independent station in San Diego that began airing in 1982, begins. 

"KUSI offered our own Dan Plante, who has reported dozens of times on the border, including one story from 2016 that was retweeted by former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, and posted on DrudgeReport.com," it continues while linking to a border fence tour report.

"We believe CNN declined a report from KUSI because we informed them that most Border Patrol Agents we have spoken to told us the barrier does in fact work," it concludes.  "We have continuously been told by Border Patrol Agents that the barrier along the Southern border helps prevent illegal entries, drugs, and weapons from entering the United States, and the numbers prove it." 

Obviously, that was poison to their "narrative" that Trump's wall is a matter of no importance, and CNN's editors decided they wouldn't even be able to spin the KUSI report to the contrary away in their own report.  It was just too damning, given the line they were pushing.

This is really creepy for a national network to be doing, given how unethical it is journalism-wise.  Fake news seems to be pretty real.

Journalists, whether or not they go to Columbia Journalism School (quite a few CNN people did, and I did, so I know what they teach), know very well that news reporters must report facts on the ground, without fear or favor. 

They also know that facts are paramount – numbers and data tell a lot and must always come before any narrative.

They also know in spades that local news trumps national news in accuracy and importance, because local news reporters are specialists. This is why you often see foreign-appearing names on foreign correspondents' reports in national newspapers – the people doing those reports are specialists in the language, the culture, and the connections needed for efficient and accurate overseas reporting.  The same applies to San Diego reporting: the local reporters are far more likely to be believable, nuanced, accurate, and detailed in their reports than the national correspondents who fly in and fly out.  One local reporter I have cited who has this quality is Sandra Dibble of the San Diego Union-Tribune, who reports without fear or favor, paying no attention to what someone in Washington's "narrative" may be.

Here CNN commissioned these local reporters to get the actual facts, and those reporters got those facts.  Dan Plante, who is named by KUSI, is a grizzled old connected veteran journalist who knows his stuff and is highly professional.  (I think I have actually met him).

And what do we know about KUSI?  Well, since I live here in San Diego, I know it's called an "independent station," but it has a reputation for being lefty.  But I find its reports meaty and content-filled, with far less commentary and far more detail than those of its rivals.  Its wildfire and caravan coverage was very good.  I have not noticed significant bias in its coverage on any topic compared to other stations.  I actually prefer KUSI's television reports generally over the others.

Now they've reported the facts on the ground, and CNN says it doesn't want anyone to hear them.  It has the news, and chooses to, in Iowahawk's characterization, smother it with a pillow.

Journalism is about covering important stories. With a pillow, until they stop moving.

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) May 9, 2013

This raises questions about how deeply connected to the Democratic power structure this network really is.  The recent report of Democratic operative and CNN employee Donna Brazile slipping Hillary Clinton the presidential debate questions on the sly does not speak well for it.

Now it is suppressing this.

Any questions as to why the president calls CNN "fake news"?