CNN Fires Producer Over his Blogging

February 14, 2008 | Filed Under Democrats/Leftists, Media Bias, News, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston |

-By Warner Todd Huston

The New York Times is reporting that a CNN producer has been fired because he blogs for the Huffington Post, or so says now ex-producer Chez Pazienza in the Times’ City Room Section today. No real confirmation from CNN that Pazienza was fired for his blogging, but looking at his past work, it shouldn’t be too surprising that CNN would be embarrassed by the foul language, and extreme point of view that the fired producer displays there.

Paziena announced his firing on his blog, Deus Ex Malcontent.

Yesterday afternoon, I was fired from my job at CNN.

What was the reason for my abrupt and untimely dismissal? You’re reading it.

The Times reports that Paziena has been with CNN since 2004.

In a phone interview this morning, Mr. Pazienza, 38, said he joined CNN as a senior producer in January 2004 and has consistently received positive performance evaluations of his work. He spent his first year at CNN at the network’s headquarters in Atlanta, then moved to New York to work on “CNN Daybreak,” which has since been canceled, then “American Morning,” which is shown Monday through Friday, from 6 to 9 a.m.

Paziena’s blog, however, is a perfect example of the unhinged left and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that CNN was a bit uncomfortable that an extremist like him worked for them. His explanation of what his blog was about serves as a perfect example of his uncouth, uncivil style of writing.

“I wake up every morning baffled as to why America hasn’t thrown George Bush and Dick Cheney in prison, Hollywood hasn’t stopped trying to convince me that Sarah Jessica Parker is attractive, gullible soccer moms haven’t realized that they share absolutely no kinship with Oprah, and Fox canceled ‘Firefly,’”

But that seems mild compared to what Matthew Sheffield of Newsbusters found on Paziena’s personal blog.

Among other things, Paziena attacked president Bush with “He’s a dumb, lumbering jackass, and we know it.” He also said that British Prime Minister Tony Blair was “thrown around the room and gang-banged” by George W. Bush. He called Condoleezza Rice a “hardcore lesbian” and said that Colin Powell gave the “U.N. a lap dance” while “spreading his legs for Halliburton.”

Of the Scooter Libby pardon, Paziena said that the pardon was an excuse to throw away all civilized behavior. Using the full “F” word, Paziena said:

Do whatever the f— you want.

Rob. Cheat. Steal. Murder. Swindle. Pillage. Rape. Conceal. Destroy.

So, CNN probably made a good call getting rid of this hateful, extremist. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want such a ranting, nutrooter such as this representing my news organization!

For their part, CNN told the Times that, “CNN has a policy that says employees must first get permission to write for a non-CNN outlet.” Apparently, Paziena did not alert his bosses to his writing for the Huffington Post.

Now, before everyone rails about free speech, it should be remembered that a business has certain rights to fire employees that breached the company standards of behavior. So, CNN was perfectly within their rights here.

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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston