CNN host Anderson Cooper claimed that his network aired GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's full March 8, election night news conference because no other candidate was speaking at that time. In fact, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton gave a speech in the same hour that all three major cable news networks ignored.
On the March 10 edition of Anderson Cooper 360, Cooper spoke with former GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, who recently endorsed presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). During the segment Fiorina criticized all three cable networks, including CNN for airing Trump's entire Tuesday news conference, where Trump was given a free platform to attack other candidates, and brag about his steaks, wine, vodka, and magazines. Cooper responded by arguing that CNN broadcasted the entire speech “because no other candidates were actually speaking at that point.”
CARLY FIORINA: I don't really know why Donald Trump gets away with half the stuff he gets away with. I guess it's [be]cause it's entertaining. I guess that's why every network, including your own, broadcast his entire press conference, if that's what you can call it. It was more like a QVC commercial for a full hour without commercial break. I don't know what that is, but it doesn't actually help Americans understand the solutions to real problems in their lives.
ANDERSON COOPER (HOST): Well, I think --
FIORINA: Having been out there on the campaign trail for a long time, I think citizens are concerned and they want solutions.
COOPER: I just for the record, I think we broadcast it because no other candidates were actually speaking at that point. And particularly your candidate [Ted Cruz] had stopped speaking at 5 o'clock that afternoon, and no other comments were being made. And he is the Republican front-runner.
In fact, all three cable news networks aired Trump's speech uninterrupted and ignored the victory speech given by Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton at the same time. MSNBC aired Clinton's speech immediately after Trump's nearly hour-long news conference, while CNN only provided the speech in its entirety on the network's website, and Fox News ignored Clinton's speech.
Trump has recently faced criticism for the tactics his campaign uses to control the media, including banning journalists from news conferences, corralling reporters at his events, and manipulating networks to give him phone interviews instead of live video interviews.
Trump also continues to receive disproportionate coverage by news networks that openly cheer his ability to bring in advertising dollars.