CNN’s “New Day” host Chris Cuomo said that “I think that very often the left bleeds into” the media on Wednesday.
In a discussion on the Mohammed Art Exhibit and Contest, Cuomo said to CNN Political Commentator Marc Lamont Hill, “Here’s the criticism on your side is that the left is afraid of saying anything offensive about Islam. You don’t feel like that about Christianity. You attack the Catholic Church all the time.”
Hill responded that this is “different,” because “when you have a critique of the Catholic Church, you say ‘the Catholic Church is x’, that’s a critical analysis. If you say ‘Islam has some issues with patriarch or Islam has some issues with sexuality,’ I think that’s also appropriate. But drawing the Prophet Mohammed for the sole purpose of violating something that is a principle –”
Cuomo interjected, “but you wouldn’t punish somebody for Piss Christ, you wouldn’t do it, but you won’t put, on the media pictures of Mohammed because you don’t want to upset Islam, but you’ll put pictures of Piss Christ.”
After some back and forth, Hill said, “that is an amazing critique of the media, but you said it was a critique of the left.”
Cuomo responded, “because I think that very often the left bleeds into the what the media’s –.” Hill interjected, “Even if I conceded that the media were more left-wing, it doesn’t mean that that represents the left as such.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett