Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) recently got into a heated exchange with CNN reporter Manu Raju earlier this week amid a heavily scrutinized proposition to increase congressional pay. Speaking directly to Durbin, Raju outlined pushback toward the proposal that, given Congress’ ineffectiveness, lawmakers do not deserve an increase in taxpayer-funded pay.
The questioning from Raju sparked a tense back-and-forth with the senator. “The members are giving themselves a pay raise, do you guys deserve a pay raise?” the CNN reporter asked Durbin. The Illinois Democrat responded, “Well, that’s news to me. It’s good news. You know, what has it been ten years or fourteen years of no COLA, no change at all? I think it’s about time something’s done.”
For context, the term “COLA” refers to cost-of-living adjustments. Especially with the historically high levels of inflation Americans have endured over the past few years under the Biden-Harris administration, congressional leaders are likely looking for a pay raise. However, Raju questioned if Congress truly deserved to be rewarded with higher compensation given its questionable performance.
“But I mean, I mean people look at the performance of Congress, and say why should we give them more money,” Raju said. Durbin fired back, pointing out the massive ratings crash CNN and other legacy media outlets have experienced in the aftermath of the election. “What about the media?” he asked. “Think about that for a second.”
Raju retorted, “We’re not paid by public money.” The senator replied, “I know you’re not but half of your listeners are not there anymore, you’re still getting the same paycheck? What’s going on?” According to recent reports, legacy media has endured declining ratings which have predominantly plagued left-leaning outlets such as CNN and MSNBC, particularly since the election.
However, Fox News Channel concluded the year, surging ahead of its competitors, continuing to hold the title of the number one channel in cable news. FNC’s programs dominated the top spots in cable news, where its flagship show “The Five” was the number one show on all of cable news for the third consecutive year. Following President-elect Donald Trump’s landslide win, Fox News also saw a spike in viewership across all demographics.
The American Tribune reported, “Fox News recently received great news as 2024 comes to a close, continuing to lead the cable news market while competitors such as CNN and MSNBC have fallen behind. Driving Fox News’ success in cable news, the channel’s programming has dominated television with the top 12 shows. In particular, FNC’s top show, “The Five,” just earned its third consecutive year as the number one program on cable news.”
“Furthermore, Fox News took over 55 percent of the total cable viewership in prime time and 49% of total day viewers this year,” The Tribune added. “Following the presidential election, FNC saw a notable spike in viewership, garnering 72 percent of the cable news audience, while MSNBC had just 15 percent and CNN 11 percent. Moreover, MSNBC and CNN saw a massive ratings collapse post-election, experiencing declines of 61 percent and 52 percent respectively.”
Watch the tense exchange below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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