CNN commentator Ben Ferguson's Facebook page is a cesspool of bigotry, false info, and fabricated qu
CNN political commentator Ben Ferguson regularly uses his Facebook page to post memes with false information and fabricated quotes, including an image with a made-up Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) quote that was used to portray her as stupid.
He also pushes bigotry on his page, including claiming that Islam is a religion “that sends out people from PRAYER in church to kill people and burn down buildings” and posting a meme of Black people in Ferguson, MO, with text saying, “Looting: when free food, housing, phones, healthcare & education aren’t enough.” Ferguson's Facebook page has over 800,000 followers and touts his CNN employment as a credential. CNN didn't respond to a request for comment.
CNN has employed a stable of pro-Trump commentators, often with poor results and at the expense of its own reporting. As former Media Matters staffer Carlos Maza wrote for Vox, the outcome is CNN creating “news coverage that cares more about fighting and drama than it does about serious truth telling.”
In March 2018, Media Matters documented that Ferguson had used his Facebook page to endorse and promote vitriolic and conspiratorial attacks against CNN. After publication, Ferguson took down those anti-CNN posts and apologized, claiming they were “posted by an outside company that did not accurately represent my opinion. I apologize to my radio listeners and the CNN community. I am extremely proud of my relationship with CNN and everyone I work with!”
While CNN has said it is committed to “facts first,” it continues to associate itself with Ferguson. Specifically:
https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/03/06/cnn-commentator-ben-ferguson-s-facebook-page-cesspool-bigotry-false-info-and-fabricated-quotes/223050