MSNBC's Geist: CNN has “doomsday on the brain”

Written by Brian Levy

Published

On the “Beat the Press” segment of the July 27 edition of MSNBC's Tucker, MSNBC producer Willie Geist discussed a segment of the July 26 edition of CNN's Live From ... in which anchor Kyra Phillips talked about the Apocalypse and the Middle East with Christian authors Jerry Jenkins and Joel C. Rosenberg -- who share the view that the Rapture is nigh. As Media Matters for America noted, Phillips asked Jenkins and Rosenberg if we are “living in the last days” and whether she needed “to start taking care of unfinished business and telling people that I love them and I'm sorry for all the evil things I've done.” Geist also mentioned a segment from the July 24 edition of Paula Zahn Now in which, as Media Matters noted, onscreen text read “End of the World?” Geist stated that Phillips “is getting a little nervous” and that CNN “certainly seem[s] to have doomsday on the brain.” He concluded that CNN should “lighten up a little bit.”

From the July 27 edition of MSNBC's Tucker:

GEIST: Next up: CNN, which seems to be giving undue attention to the Apocalypse theory. For some reason, they keep doing segments questioning whether what's happening in the Middle East is a sign that the world is coming to an end. Looks like anchor Kyra Phillips is getting a little nervous.

PHILLIPS [video clip]: So, Joel, are we living in the last days? I mean, let's talk about the specific signs to watch. You've written about them. What does the Bible say, and are we there? [...] Joel, do I need to start taking care of unfinished business and telling people that I love them and I'm sorry for all the evil things I've done?

GEIST: My gosh. Actually, I'd like to know some of the evil things Kyra Phillips has done. That's just me. I don't know if there is a morale problem over at CNN or what, but they certainly seem to have doomsday on the brain over there. Paula Zahn, three days ago, on Monday, had a whole segment with a banner that said “End of The World?” I know we're in the middle of a very serious war, I recognize that. But lighten up a little bit, guys.