Ever since the US presidential election in November, news viewership has taken a hit. Ratings data reveals that primetime viewership for MSNBC is down 54 per cent. On The Late Show Tuesday, talk show host Stephen Colbert pointed out that the news burnout goes way beyond one network. He referred to a poll which suggests that two thirds of USA adults are tuning out political news.
Few, it seems, have the stomach to hear more disheartening reports of dropped charges, sentencing reversals, inappropriate cabinet confirmations, California wildfires and other disasters. The desperate search for distractions has gotten so bad US networks are leading their newshours with what is generally their biggest yawn of them all — reports about Canada.
The desperate search to reclaim viewers reached new lows this week when CNN Outfront host Erin Burnett delivered what seemed like a rushed take on the recent decision by Justin Trudeau to resign as Canada’s prime minister. As Canadians well know, this followed nearly a year of byelection losses in once safe ridings, polls showing the Liberal party was, like many incumbent governments of late, heading for oblivion and calls for Trudeau to step aside from his own caucus and cabinet members.
Trudeau himself laid it all out Monday, in french and in english. Burnett’s take, of course, as dictated by you know who, was that Trudeau was quitting as a direct result of the bullying blatherings of Trump on Truth Social. Trump’s skeevy jabs about Canadians being thrilled to become the 51st state, his petty put downs of “Governor” Trudeau and other classless rantings, instead of being called out by legitimate news organizations, continues to simply get reported.
Burnett and others could push back but instead, she took the bait and led with the absurd. Instead of sounding like a journalist, she seemed more like one of the mob yelling “Jerry, Jerry,” way back on the show that greased this slippery slope towards chaos and confusion, The Springer Show.
The other night Burnett had Ontario premier Doug Ford back on her show to respond to the heckling. Burnett asked Ford how he felt now that Canada’s “entire government has gone into chaos all on the back of these things Trump has said?”
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Ford, who earlier had made his own feeble joke about suggesting Canada buy Alaska, stuck to a positive spin about wanting to get down to substantial trade talks.
Still prime minister by the way (until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen, likely in late March), Trudeau’s single comment on X Tuesday was more to the point: “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.”
Some of Burnett’s colleagues at CNN clung to higher ground. John King in particular, during a round table, showed an understanding of Canada’s role in the world and an awareness of how other sovereign nations operate. Left leaning Van Jones on CNN’s News Night with Abby Phillip kept things light by suggesting annexing Canada would be like welcoming a “massive blue state.” Pointing to the northern nation’s universal health care system, Jones stirred some pushback from conservative strategist Scott Jennings by saying that “if Canada wants to come here and rescue us, I am more than happy to welcome…”
Responding to Trump’s jokes with more jokes was also Jimmy Kimmel’s approach. On Monday night, he said that Trudeau was stepping down, “to focus full time on being handsome.”
“You want to know why [Trump] doesn’t like Justin Trudeau?” Kimmel asked before showing his audience a photo of Melania from a few years ago giving the PM her full attention. “She is gazing into his eyes like he’s a Backstreet Boy in 1989.”
How are Canadian viewers taking all of this? How do you think? For the second year in a row Canada was knocked out early at the World Junior Hockey Championships — which were won by the United States. Hold onto your teeth America, we’ve got your sweater number.
