CNN Sent Gary Tuchman to Cover the Border … Where Fox’s Bill Melugin Has Been for the Past Year

It remains unclear what the future holds for CNN, but a unique Monday segment may be an indicator.

CNN’s Gary Tuchman reported from Eagle Pass, Texas — which was referred to as “Eagle Falls” on the network — about the current migrant crisis and Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to bus many to New York City and Washington D.C. Stories on the flow of migrants at the southern border are a regular feature on Fox News where reporter Bill Melugin regularly reports on crossings and crimes at the border firsthand. It’s not as regular of sight on CNN.

NEW: Border Patrol in the El Paso sector arrested three illegal immigrants who were wearing ghillie suits in an effort to blend into the terrain as they snuck through the desert in southern New Mexico. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/qIAYwMYGSl

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 19, 2022

Mexican authorities, with the assistance of Del Rio Sector Border Patrol, stopped an 18 wheeler truck with 150 migrants crammed inside being smuggled to the U.S. border. All survived.
Incredibly dangerous w/ the summer heat. 53 migrants died in a trailer in San Antonio in June. pic.twitter.com/WUjLOCALXv

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 18, 2022

Tuchman spoke to migrants just before they were set to be bused out of the state and found many were actually happy to leave.

“Some people say it’s cruel, but this story may not be what you expect,” he said of the busing situation, finding migrants who said they have family and friends in the cities. Others are looking at a more uncertain future with no connections in either city.

Valeria Wheeler, the executive director of Mission: Border Hope, claimed in a conversation with Tuchman that the migrants leaving are going willingly and are happy for the “free ride.”

“No one has been forced,” she said.

Tuchman also spoke with migrants with tragic stories behind their border crossings, including Luis Pulido. From Venezuela, Pudilo said he lost his brother while swimming across the Rio Grande.

CNN has been dealing with some significant shakeups since moving under the umbrella of the freshly-formed Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN+ was quickly nixed earlier in the year, and Brian Stelter, host of Reliable Sources, exited the company after years of being a staple on the network.

A recent New York Times report highlighted a motivation within Warner Bros. Discovery to have CNN move to a more centrist position when it comes to news, which may partly explain Tuchman’s recent trip to Texas. New CEO Chris Licht also reportedly promised more changes in a recent conference call with employees, acknowledging the shifts may be “unsettling” for some.

Watch above via CNN

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!