CNN roasted for ‘effort to discredit’ Nick Shirley’s viral reporting

CNN was roasted on-line Wednesday by everybody from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to outstanding conservative pundits to common People, for a section that questioned impartial journalist Nick Shirley’s viral reporting.

Shirley went viral final week along with his 42-minute video investigating Minnesota daycares that appeared inactive regardless of receiving hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in authorities funding. His video sparked an investigation by federal officers, which led to the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers freezing all youngster care funds to Minnesota.

CNN correspondent Whitney Wild interviewed Shirley in a section on “Anderson Cooper 360” Tuesday night time, wherein Wild questioned Shirley’s strategies of investigating the facilities.

NICK SHIRLEY RESPONDS TO CNN ‘HIT PIECE’ ABOUT HIS FRAUD INVESTIGATION IN MINNESOTA

CNN correspondent Whitney Wild interviewed Nick Shirley in a section on “Anderson Cooper 360” Tuesday night time. (CNN/screenshot)

After bombarding Shirley with questions, the CNN reporter mentioned the community is “wanting into” his claims. Wild then referred to as Minnesota day care facilities on speaker telephone, acknowledging that most of the facilities Shirley visited weren’t returning her calls.

“Just one daycare responded and mentioned it is a legit enterprise,” Wild advised viewers.

The section was shortly panned on social media, the place many prompt CNN spent extra time “investigating Nick Shirley than the Minneapolis fraud.”

Fox Information host Laura Ingraham wrote, “Nobody on earth is stunned that CNN seems to be siding with Somali fraudsters.”

CNN’S ABBY PHILLIP CALLS OPINION THAT ‘NO ONE IS HELD LIABLE’ FOR FRAUD IN MINNESOTA ‘COMPLETELY FALSE’

TikTok’s common account Libs wrote: “CNN is disputing that there’s fraud in Somali daycares in Minnesota as a result of they referred to as quite a lot of daycares, one responded asking in the event that they have been committing fraud, and the daycare responded that they weren’t. I am not kidding.”

New York Submit columnist Miranda Devine added: “What a disgrace, @CNN. She interviews @nickshirleyy in individual, however not the daycare. After which she takes the phrase of the daycare she contacts by telephone – however does not go to – that they’re legit? Significantly?”

Though Shirley himself referred to as the CNN report a “hit piece,” many didn’t consider {that a} information community would attempt to discredit its reporting.

“So CNN’s place right here is to attempt to discredit @nickshirleyy whereas patting the authorities on the again for pursuing fraud. However hilariously, the community buries the lede after two minutes. “We contacted a number of of the daycares featured within the now viral video. Just one daycare responded saying they’re a legit enterprise.” Simply take that one individual’s phrase for it,” journalist Benjamin Weingarten responded.

ICE PROBES EXPECTED FRAUD SITES IN MINNESOTA, OFFICIALS TRACK A POTENTIAL $9BILLION MONEY TRAIL

Unbiased journalist Nick Shirley. (Fox Information)

CNN didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark in regards to the on-line backlash.

Many others took to social media with ideas:

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Lindsay Kornick and Marc Tamasco of Fox Information Digital contributed to this report.