New York Times defends forbidding reporters from going on certain cable news shows -- Don Lemon calls it "shortsighted"

The Daily Beast

“We have always had a rule saying reporters should be wary of going on very clearly opinionated shows,” Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet told The Daily Beast by text message on Friday. “It isn’t meant as a commentary on any show, just our view that hard hitting stories like the ones we are doing should stand on their own.” He was responding to a Vanity Fair story saying that Times reporters are now banned from shows that appear to be partisan, including MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show and The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell, as well as CNN Tonight with Don Lemon. “(We) will still appear on television when invited,” Baquet texted. “It’s the most sharply opinionated shows that give me pause. I’m not sure which shows we will avoid. The line is increasingly blurred. Again, this is not an assault on our television compatriots. It’s my strong view that opinion and news need to be separated.” When asked about the so-called ban, Don Lemon responded: "I do not get the sense that they are banning reporters from my show. But, I don’t work for the Times so I can’t be sure. However, it would be extremely shortsighted if they are when journalism is under attack. We should support each other. Period.”