CNN's Don Lemon's Sour Coverage in Ferguson
/It seems like a very old story by now, but once again CNN's Don Lemon is under fire for his awful reporting skills and actions while covering the unrest in Ferguson.
The NY Daily News writes that as Ferguson erupted into anger, bullets and flames Monday night, Lemon ham-handedly drew tear gas into his own gas mask, whined for water and a device to contact his producers, and then made a culturally insensitive comment about protesters smoking pot.
Tuesday Lemon was further blasted by critics online for imitating the “St. Louis accent” and for retreating to a “safe room” while other CNN reporters stayed out on the scene.
The violence was at a full pitch when CNN's Chris Cuomo tried to turn the broadcast over to Lemon who was wearing a gas mask on his forehead. Lemon then trapped gas in his own mask, began coughing and asked for water. Moments later, Cuomo tried Lemon again, but this time the anchor heard on air saying, "I need IFB (a device to communicate with producers). Someone make a phone call."
Lemon was blasted for his on air behavior on Twitter - most specifically his observation that protesters smelled like marijuana — but also for his general incompetence.