‘My God, Use the Clicker’ Smerconish Stresses To His CNN Viewers They Need ‘Mixed Media Diet’

CNN’s Michael Smerconish stressed to his viewers the importance of a “mixed media diet” and told them to “use the remote” to sample differing points of view.

On his show on Saturday, Smerconish read viewer messages, including one referring to the FCC’s “equal time” rule, which applies to broadcast television and radio and has been under the spotlight recently after late-night comedian Stephen Colbert claimed worry about violating the rule led to his network canceling airing an interview with Texas State Representative James Talarico (D).

CBS pushed back on Colbert’s claim, saying they did not bar the interview but brought up concerns about giving Talarico airtime, but not his opponents, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D). The interview ended up being released on YouTube, where it’s pulled in millions of views.

On Saturday, Smerconish responded to a message from a viewer who argued that “equal time” rules for candidates don’t apply in a world with so many media options.

“There’s no government enforceable equal time rule that could be effective in today’s politics. We all gravitate toward the new sources that we want. We the consumers decide if we want or need equal time,” the viewer said.

Smerconish endorsed the thought and warned his viewers against falling into ideological silos by only consuming certain media.

He said:

Steve, I completely agree with your observation. In the end, it’s on us. In the end, it is on us, and it should be incumbent upon all of us to have a mixed media diet. Of course I want you watching CNN and I want you listening to me on SiriusXM, but, my God, use the clicker. I don’t go to bed without sampling all of the news and opinion that’s all around me because it’s so easy to get bunkered into, you know, a silo of your choosing and think you’re getting competing opinions when, in fact, you’re not. So use the remote, except when I’m on air.

Watch above via CNN.

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