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One of Don Lemon’s former colleagues at NCS is questioning whether he should be considered a journalist following his involvement in final Sunday’s protest at a Minnesota church.
Chris Cillizza, NCS’s former editor-at-large who labored with Lemon earlier than each of them have been individually dismissed, penned a piece on his Substack with the headline, “Is Don Lemon a Journalist?”
“Are the ‘Pod Save America’ guys journalists? I’d say ‘no’ however I’m not certain that’s the majority view. Is what Ben Shapiro does journalism? Again, I’d say ‘no’ — however I’m not certain that’s the frequent take,” Cillizza wrote Thursday. “Don — and others like him that have grown up and found huge success in the independent creator world — are an even tougher call for me.”
Ex-NCS colleague Chris Cillizza questioned whether Don Lemon should be considered a journalist because the liberal host faces scrutiny over his function in livestreaming the anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church. (Screenshot/Chris Cillizza, Screenshot/The Don Lemon Show)
Cillizza, who notes that he and Lemon weren’t shut associates at NCS however have been “certainly cordial,” pressured that he does not suppose Lemon should not be charged for his actions on the church. However, he did concede that Lemon has a “VERY clear lean to his work,” citing Lemon’s personal Substack headlines like “Donald Trump Is An International JOKE,” “Watch Donald Trump Unravel On Live TV,” and “Donald Trump Embarrasses America at World Summit!”
“He is a partisan. Who also does things that journalists do — interview people, etc. Does that make him a journalist? Is the term ‘partisan journalist’ an oxymoron?” Cillizza requested. “I struggle with that. Truly. Because I DO believe journalism is experiencing a profound series of changes. Who people want information from, how they want to consume that information and where they get it is changing rapidly.”
“At the same time, do Don and I belong in the same basket? Or me and Ben Shapiro? Or me and ‘The Gateway Pundit’?” he continued.
MAGISTRATE JUDGE REJECTS CHARGES AGAINST DON LEMON IN CONNECTION WITH ANTI-ICE CHURCH PROTEST
Don Lemon has repeatedly known as himself a journalist, insisting he was not a part of the protest he was masking at St. Paul’s Cities Church. (Don Lemon/YouTube)
The former NCS commentator went on to say he is no “final arbiter” of who should be considered a journalist however insists it is a crucial query given the rise of unbiased media.
“Is the information/analysis/reporting offered up by anyone calling themselves a journalist to be treated equally? Or is there some way to differentiate between activism masquerading as journalism, partisan journalism and just plain old journalism?” Cillizza wrote. “I truly don’t know the answer to these questions. But I think we need to find answers to them as we navigate the decline and fall of the age of mainstream media and the rise of whatever we are currently building to replace it.”
Lemon didn’t instantly reply to Fox News Digital‘s request for remark.
DON LEMON PUT ‘ON NOTICE’ BY DOJ FOR ROLE IN COVERING PROTEST THAT STORMED CHURCH
The Justice Department has signaled it was focusing on Lemon among the many protesters who stormed into St. Paul’s Cities Church due to suspicions that its pastor had collaborated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Lemon, nonetheless, remained defiant after a federal Justice of the Peace choose rejected the DOJ’s fees in opposition to him, although the DOJ should still carry fees via different avenues.
“I stand proud, and I stand tall,” Lemon stated on his YouTube present Thursday night time. “This is not a victory lap for me, because it’s not over. They’re going to try again, and they’re going to try again. And guess what? Here I am. Keep trying.”
“That’s not going to cease me from being a journalist. You’re not going to decrease my voice. Go forward. Make me into the brand new Jimmy Kimmel if you would like,” Lemon advised the DOJ. “Just do it! Because I’m not going anywhere.”
The Justice Department has been pursuing fees in opposition to Don Lemon however confronted a setback after a federal Justice of the Peace choose rejected the costs in opposition to him. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
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Lemon has repeatedly referred to himself as a journalist, which he argues offers him First Amendment protections to cowl the unrest that unfolded. He insisted he has “no affiliation to that organization” and “didn’t even know they were going to this church until we followed them there,” though video he posted on YouTube instructed he had been at the very least considerably conscious of the agitators’ plan. According to the livestream, Lemon entered the church earlier than the agitators arrived. He went on to doc the hostile invasion of the church.
“The magistrate’s reported actions confirm the nature of Don’s First Amendment-protected work this weekend in Minnesota as a reporter. It was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years, reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protected activity as a journalist. Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” Abbe Lowell, an lawyer for Lemon who additionally represented Hunter Biden, advised Fox News Digital.