News
Don Lemon "Obviously" Smelled Weed in Ferguson
Everyone's favorite CNN anchor made us all wince last week when he gave himself an on-air pat on the back for scrutinizing an alleged Bill Cosby rape victim's story (he's since apologized). Now, he's further proving his prowess with Ferguson coverage, detailing the sights, sounds, and smells like all good reporters learn to do. What budding journos don't learn is how to simultaneously be super offensive, a skill he has in spades. In his latest judgement, erm, report, CNN's Don Lemon said there was "obviously" the smell of marijuana at the Ferguson protests.
The slip was as casual as it was offensive. In CNN's Monday night coverage after the grand jury decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson, Lemon was out on the streets of Ferguson orienting viewers. Anderson Cooper handed it over to Lemon to paint a picture of Ferguson. He described gun shots that he heard while Bob McCulloch made the announcement. He described police flooding the scene. He also stated the "obvious."
Obviously, there's the smell of marijuana in the air, as well.
He said it such a nonchalant, matter-of-racist-fact way that I thought I was listening to Rush Limbaugh. Lemon seems hellbent on working his way up from reporter to pundit status with his A++ reporting in the last month.
I can almost see Cooper's knuckles whitening as he clenched the edge of his desk, cursing under his breath, "No, Lemon, not again!"
The one thing I would like to see is Lemon's apparently innate ability to combine sensory reporting with slanted, offensive remarks. CNN, I have a few ideas of where you should send Lemon to report next:
- Congress: "Obviously, the smell of bullshit is in the air."
- Wall Street: "Obviously, streaks of cocaine were on the urinals."
- Suburbia: "Obviously, trashcans are overflowing with empty wine bottles and Prozac prescriptions.
Oh, the possibilities!
Despite his nearly flawless journalism skillz, Lemon did have a pretty big flub aside from indicating that it is obvious that people who would be protesting in Ferguson would also be smoking weed. As he was interviewing Rev. Jesse Jackson about the aftermath of the announcement, Lemon asked him why Ferguson was resorting to what he believed were violent protests.
Lemon: Reverend, part of your legacy is that you marched with Dr. King peacefully, non-violent protests. What has changed in our culture and our society that people result -- resort to things that played out here last night in Ferguson?
Jackson: You do know that when Dr. King was alive we had the Watts riots and the Newark riots and the Detroit riots and Chicago.
Oh, right. Those.
Images: Giphy
