A longtime senator mocked a CNN journalist after the reporter asked whether lawmakers should get a pay raise – pointing out the station’s flagging ratings in the process.
Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin, 80, made the remarks Wednesday, after the network’s chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, questioned him about congressional pay increases.
Members of Congress are in line for their first pay raise since 2009, if they pass a stopgap spending measure that would also avoid a partial government shutdown.
‘Do you guys deserve a pay raise?’ Raju asked, as members of Congress currently earn salaries of at least $174,000. Some in leadership positions make more.
‘Well, that’s news to me,’ Durbin, a senator since 1997, responded. ‘It’s good news.’
The politician proceeded to point out how members of Congress, if accounting for inflation, have effectively been on the receiving end of a 31 percent pay cut since 2009, telling Raju: ‘I think it’s about time something’s done.’
‘But people look at the performance of Congress and say why should we give them more money?’ Raju continued.
‘What about the media?’ an incredulous Durbin shot back. ‘Think about that for a second.’
Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin, 80, made the remarks Wednesday, after the network’s chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, questioned him about congressional pay increases
Raju, 44, is a rising star at the network, having joined back in 2015
‘We’re not paid by public money,’ Raju replied.
‘I know you’re not, but half your listeners aren’t there anymore,’ Durbin responded.
‘And you’re still getting the same paycheck,’ the senator continued.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Well, I mean, you’re taxpayer money, I mean, [do] you guys deserve a raise?’ Raju insisted.
Eventually, Durbin took questions from other reporters, giving way to a conversation from a CNN panel that saw staffers jump to their colleague’s defense.
‘I thought it was so interesting this morning. Dick Durbin did not know this was in the bill when Manu was asking him about it this morning,’ congressional correspondent Lauren Fox said.
‘And he was arguing that it was pleasant information for him because it had been a decade.’
Raju has sit opposite figures like Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi and Paul Ryan
Members of Congress are in line for their first pay raise since 2009 – if they pass a stopgap spending measure that would also avoid a partial government shutdown. Raju is seen interviewing then Speaker Pelosi in 2019
‘People look at the performance of Congress and say why should we give them more money?’ Raju – seen here at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner in April – told the senator the senator at a point
‘And he is one of those who is a normal person when it comes to his bank account,’ Inside Politics host Dana Bash added.
Chief correspondents at a major new network like CNN typically make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Some, like Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins make even more. At 32, she has a salary of $3million.
Bash, 53, is CNN’s chief political correspondent, joining as a producer back in the 90s. She interned for the station as a student as well, but her current salary remains unknown.
Other familiar faces like Anderson Cooper, the host of his own long-running show, rake in $20million annually. Reports have suggested senior stars like Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper have both been denied raises.
Erin Burnett makes a not-so-modest $6million, and just recently, execs cut ties with veteran Chris Wallace, whom insiders had said would have likely been on the receiving end of a pay cut if he had decided to stay.
The 77-year-old had reportedly been making $7 million a year, after two years with the network.
On Wednesday, the exodus of talent continued, with 72-year-old Gloria Borger announcing she was departing the network after 17 years.
Longtime CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota also recently cut ties with the network after a tenure that lasted more than decade.
All came within weeks of an explosive new report from Puck in which insiders frantically claimed network executives are on cusp of sweeping layoffs – all designed to save the network’s reputation.
CNN star Kaitlan Collins will resume her old role of Chief White House Correspondent in addition to anchoring her own show
Anderson Cooper, the host of his own long-running show, rakes in $20million annually
The news also comes as veteran anchors Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer were reportedly recently denied raises
Viewership for cable news networks in general is down.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that CNN’s viewership was down 46 percent since the election, when it had 5.1 million viewers – a number that dropped to 419,000 the following Thursday.
As of early December, CNN’s audience has gotten smaller than that of networks like TNT, Discovery, TLC, TBS, ESPN, and Hallmark Mystery – a far cry from its days at the top of cable television.
To combat this, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav reportedly reiterated long-promised plans to restructure the media company.
He recently sold $30million shares of the firm – his first sale since the merger.
Meanwhile, there are two provisions buried in the continuing resolution Congress are looking to pass – a base pay increase for member to $243,000 a year, and an opt from being required to use Obamacare.
