CNN Reporter Suspended For Tweet Criticizing House Response To Syrian Refugees

Elise Labott, a CNN Global Affairs reporter, was suspended for two weeks following a controversial tweet she made on November 19. POLITICO is reporting that the CNN reporter was reprimanded and suspended for a tweet, made from her CNN-affiliated Twitter account. The tweet criticized a recent bill being voted on in the House of Representatives that was created to make it more difficult for Syrian refugees to be granted asylum in the United States.

The bill referred to by CNN reporter Elise Labott, which passed the House in a 289-137 vote, would require a much more intensive screening process for refugees from Syria and Iraq before they would be able to relocate to the United States. 47 of the “yea” votes were made by Democrats who chose to defy President Obama’s stance on the proposed legislation, The Hill reported. President Obama, who has publicly shared suspended CNN reporter Elise Labott’s stance on the legislation, has vowed to veto the measure.

The issue of how the U.S. should handle Middle Eastern refugees has become a political focal point since the Paris terror attacks on November 13. Over half of U.S. governors have stated they would not accept Syrian refugees in their respective jurisdictions, despite lacking the legal authority to deny them asylum. Republican presidential candidates have also stepped into the fray that caused CNN reporter Labott to be suspended. Donald Trump has refused to speak out against the idea of a national Muslim database. Ben Carson referred to Muslim refugees as “rabid dogs” while campaigning in Mobile, Alabama. However, despite their sentiments, these two men remain front-runners for the GOP presidential nomination. For expressing the opposite opinion, a CNN reporter has been suspended.

Following backlash for the tweet written in disgust of the House legislators, the suspended CNN reporter did post a follow-up tweet later on Thursday expressing contrition for her previous words.

Everyone, It was wrong of me to editorialize. My tweet was inappropriate and disrespectful. I sincerely apologize.

— Elise Labott (@EliseLabott) November 20, 2015

In addition to being suspended by CNN, Labott also faced negative feedback from journalists at rival publications. She was criticized specifically by Erik Wemple of The Washington Post for “showing bias.” Reporters for other news outlets reportedly didn’t appreciate her editorializing, either.

Reactions to her suspension were mixed on social media. Some followers thought it was appropriate, while others felt that they’ve seen other CNN personalities say much worse with no apparent repercussions. One such instance that was specifically cited, involved remarks made on the air by Carol Costello just last year. Costello, a CNN reporter, poked fun at an audio recording of Bristol Palin in an altercation, calling it, “the best minute and a half of audio we’ve ever come across.”

Costello later publicly apologized for her comments. She was not, however, ever taken off the air by CNN.

Deadline reports that the the apology tweet issued by suspended CNN reporter Labott has done nothing to quell the public attention being given to her suspension. If anything, her apology has drawn more attention to the situation, and very little of it is positive for CNN. While some fellow journalists clearly feel as though Labott’s editorializing was unprofessional, many of her Twitter followers have a different point of view.

@eliselabottcnn @lrozen France accepts 30,000 while we cower in fear. Lady Liberty will look great in her new home pic.twitter.com/AyA9Cgl5ng

— stu stein (@thestustein) November 19, 2015

If you haven't completely abandoned your humanity, good luck getting a job at CNN.https://t.co/ljgvzbVJto

— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) November 20, 2015

@eliselabottcnn thanks for this, I"m sorry courage and character are in such short supply lately and that you had to pay a price for that

— Jason Linkins (@dceiver) November 20, 2015

The responses to the suspended CNN reporter’s apology continued much in the same manner.

@eliselabottcnn actually, that first tweet was spot on.

— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) November 20, 2015

@eliselabottcnn @CNNPolitics This was a good tweet, and I'm glad you said it. I'm sorry your mentions are filled with people-shaped sewage.

— man it’s a hot zone, (@Mobute) November 20, 2015

There were tweets from people who found Labott’s original post to be out of line, but they were few and far between. So far, her original tweet has generated over 4000 retweets and nearly 5800 likes.

There has been some speculation that the suspension of this CNN reporter was carried out to stem the tide of potential criticism rather than to be an actual punishment. POLITICO cited the fact that her two week suspension coincides with the Thanksgiving holiday. Some even wondered if CNN wasn’t generating some buzz by calling some vacation time a suspension. So far, there has been no word about whether CNN reporter Elise Labott is suspended with or without pay.

[Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images; Portrait image via Elise Labott/Twitter]