Sorkin, Kernen of CNBC spar online about pandemic

Andrew Ross Sorkin (l) and Joe Kernen

Two anchors of CNBC’s “Squawk Box” had a fiery exchange on Wednesday morning sparked in part by the grim milestone that the nation has surpassed 100,000 deaths due to the coronavirus outbreak, reports Cynthia Littleton of Variety.

Littleton writes, “Andrew Ross Sorkin and Joe Kernen shouted at each other for about a minute in the first hour of the 7-9 a.m. show that is the anchor of CNBC’s daytime lineup. Kernen accused Sorkin of ‘panicking’ about the COVID-19 threat and related issues. Sorkin in response accused Kernen of working to ‘help’ President Donald Trump. The two were live from different locations because of social distancing measures.

“‘You panicked about the market, you panicked about COVID, you panicked bout the ventilators, you panicked about the PPE, you panicked about ever going out again…,’ Kernen said.

“Sorkin interjected with clear exasperation: ‘Joseph, you didn’t panic about anything.’

“‘What good is that? What good is it,’ Kernen responded. Sorkin did not contain his anger as his voice rose in his reply.

“‘One hundred thousand people died. One hundred thousand people died, Joe, and all you did was try to help your friend the President,’ Sorkin said. ‘Every single morning on this show. You abused your position.'”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.