Whopping TWO-THIRDS of Americans Agree with CNN Firing Cuomo, Hardly Any Would’ve Done What He Did

One thing a lot of people in media have said about Chris Cuomo is that they understood he was in a rough spot and wanted to help his brother. But the average American doesn’t share that view, and agrees with CNN’s firing of the anchor.

Among his former colleagues at CNN, it is perhaps Brian Stelter who has had the most to say, and offered the most commentary on the familial bond as a mitigating factor – not to mention speculation on how fans of the network and Cuomo’s show would handle the firing.

Just days before Cuomo was fired, Stelter floated the idea that Cuomo might return to air in January, saying that “a lot of viewers, though, who love Chris Cuomo and are now ticked off that he’s off the air and want to see him back.”

But a new Economist/YouGov poll indicates that number may not be that large.

On the question of whether they “agree or disagree with the firing” by CNN, respondents agreed by a whopping 65%, while a mere 12% did not agree. Twenty-three percent were not sure.

“CNN fired anchor Chris Cuomo after learning more about his decision to ignore workplace rules by using his position to help his brother, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, defend himself against accusations of sexual misconduct. Do you agree or disagree with the firing?

In fact, even among respondents who primarily get their news from CNN the numbers show the same broad agreement with the firing of Chris Cuomo.

The poll also proposed a very interesting question about taking similar actions if they found themselves in a work situation where they might be able to use their connections to help a high-ranking and powerful politician like Andrew Cuomo. Unsurprisingly, but happily, most would not.

“Would you have made the same decision to ignore workplace rules in order to help a close family member in Chris Cuomo’s position?” is how the question was phrased. Only 15% said yes, they would have, 42% said they would not have, and a sizeable 38% were not sure if, given the same circumstances, they would have acted in the same way that Chris Cuomo did.

Read more from YouGov here.

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