COVID is ‘gangbusters with ratings’: CNN employee alleges in another Project Veritas video

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Apr 14, 2021

Following Project Veritas publishing a video Tuesday of a CNN employee alleging—while being secretly recorded—that the network’s “focus” during the 2020 presidential election “was to get Trump out of office,” the activist group has released a follow-up video on Wednesday of the same employee. In “Part Two”, he makes claims regarding COVID-19 and CNN’s ratings, among others.

RELATED: Project Veritas video: CNN employee said network’s ‘focus was to get Trump out of office’ in 2020

“COVID? Gangbusters with ratings, right?” CNN Technical Director Charlie Chester can be seen telling someone who’s off-camera at the start of the highly edited video, followed by a replay of the remark. “Which is why we [CNN] constantly have the [COVID] death toll on the side, which I have a major problem with – with how we’re tallying how many people die every day.”

The video then cuts to Chester saying: “Like, why isn’t it high enough, you know, today? Like it would make our point better if it was higher. And I’m like, what am I f—ing rallying for? That’s a problem that we’re doing that.”

Here are some other quotes from Chester that stood out:

  • “Any reporter on CNN — what they’re actually doing is they’re telling the person what to say…
  • “It’s always like leading them in a direction before they even open their mouths. The only people that we [CNN] will let on the air, for the most part, are people that have a proven track record of taking the bait.”
  • “It’s fear. Fear really drives numbers [TV ratings] … Fear is the thing that keeps you tuned in.”
  • More quotes can be found in the video and in Project Veritas’ report on its website.

The release of “Part Two” came exactly 24 hours after the release of the first part, as well as after Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe saying Tuesday evening that he was going to sue CNN after host Anna Cabrera slandered Project Veritas for “misinformation.”

RELATED: Project Veritas Founder: ‘I’m going to sue CNN for defamation’

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @DouglasPBraff.