Conservative Commentator Banned by CNN for Offensive Comment about Beeper
CNN announced that Ryan James Girdusky will not be making any more appearances on the network.
After mentioning a beeper during a heated discussion on Oct. 28, a conservative commentator who has gained viral attention in recent weeks has been banned from CNN.
Girdusky had taken part in a panel discussion on “NewsNight” earlier in the day. During the discussion, he made a reference to Mehdi Hasan’s beeper.
Hasan questioned, “Did you just say I should die?” in response to Girdusky’s comment.
Beepers, also known as pagers, were responsible for the deaths of Hezbollah members in Lebanon earlier in the year.
Host Abby Phillip intervened and deemed the comment as crossing the line.
Girdusky issued an apology, explaining that he thought Hasan was showing support for Hamas, a terrorist group, instead of Palestinians in general.
Phillip announced on air that Girdusky had been removed from the panel.
She stated, “We want discussion, we want people who disagree with each other to talk to each other,” expressing that the comment displayed a lack of civility.
When the show returned, Hasan, the CEO of Zeteo News, chose not to be on the panel. Phillip hopes for Hasan’s return to the show.
Hasan shared Phillip’s video but has not made any comment since the incident.
CNN’s statement emphasized that they “will not allow guests to be demeaned or for the line of civility to be crossed.” They also stated that “there is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN.”
