Dan Abrams Mocks Dramatically Different Vax Mandate Coverage on CNN and Fox News

Dan Abrams Mocks Dramatically Different Vax Mandate Coverage on CNN and Fox News: ‘And We Wonder Why We’re So Divided’
By Katherine Huggins
Mediaite
October 2, 2021

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/watch-dan-abrams-mocks-dramatically-different-vax-mandate-coverage-on-cnn-and-fox-news-and-we-wonder-why-were-so-divided/

Mediaite founder Dan Abrams contrasted CNN and Fox News’ coverage of Covid vaccine mandates on Friday, remarking, “And we wonder why we’re so divided as a nation.”

Abrams’ comments came during Friday night’s “Mediaite Moments” segment of Dan Abrams Live, which launched Monday on NewsNation.

“The vaccine mandates remain a divisive issue in the country but you would hope the impact of the mandates might be a fairly straightforward issue, where a news network would be able to provide us with the facts on how and whether they’re working,” Abrams said. “Sadly, it apparently depends on what network you’re watching.”

Abrams then flipped between CNN and Fox News — who at “precisely 7:21” Thursday night were both discussing the merits of vaccine mandates.

He played a clip of Erin Burnett reporting that the mandates are working and encouraging people to get vaccinated, and referenced a New York Times piece that said one California hospital saw 800 employees get vaccinated after instituting a mandate.

Abrams then flipped the channel to Fox News, where the program was blasting “mandate madness” for causing people to lose their jobs.

“Wait, people are getting fired for not getting vaccinated?” Abrams said. “That’s not good. So let’s flip back to CNN on that issue at the exact same time.”

In the clip Abrams played next, Burnett acknowledged “some people have been fired for not complying,” but reiterated that nonetheless, the “mandates have increased vaccinations, they just simply have.”

Abrams noted “that’s good,” before flipping back to Fox News again.

“As we go back to CNN, I want to assure you we did not set up this back and forth happening at exactly the same time,” Abrams then said.

In the CNN clip, Dr. Scott Gottlieb said he thinks mandating vaccinations for healthcare workers “makes a lot of sense” and that the federal government was within its rights to mandate vaccinations for its employees.

Abrams then quipped: “So it’s generally good that people are getting vaccinated but some think the mandate is heavy-handed, right? But at least both are having civil conversations about a nuanced issue.”

He then played a clip of Mark Levin saying, “No, this is disgusting. There’s no need for these totalitarian tactics… I’m telling you tyranny has no bounds, and you’re looking at it right now. It is absolutely disgusting.”

Closing out the segment, Abrams noted: “And we wonder why we’re so divided as a nation. Speaking of health, this isn’t healthy for anyone.”