Readers respond: CNN dumps smart for soulful

Thank you for your article this morning about Aaron Brown and the distressing situation at CNN. When I first heard that he was relieved of his job, I was disappointed and angry. Aaron is a first-rate news reporter and anchor with occasional editorial "smirks" as you call them and always obviously a full understanding of what is happening. He gave CNN a bit of class, as opposed to Mr. Cooper, who is a breathless, fast-talking curiosity seeker, and Mr. Blitzer, who doesn't seem to have anything to say but is always taking a breath at an awkward point in his sentence. I always felt that CNN was the news channel of substance, but I will be switching to the lesser Fox News and MSNBC from now on.

I do hope that you will keep track of where Aaron Brown lands next, and will let us all know so that we can follow him there. Thanks!

— Mary, Mercer Island

With regard to your Aaron Brown story, it seems too bad that a fair number of million-dollar blow-dries have turned newscasts into 'infotainment.' Perhaps we should adopt a more European slant where anchors are simply (and officially) designated as 'newsreaders'...nothing more, nothing less. No, or minimal, reporting experience is required and the pretense that each is the greatest journalist since Edward R. (Murrow) is refreshingly missing.

— Jack, Bellevue

Sad, that CNN is dropping Mr. Brown, for Anderson Cooper. Seems to be giving in more and more to the face over substance. I know we have a bias toward ol' Arrogant Brown here in Seattle, but I do find myself not trusting/watching CNN much anymore these days. Going the way of "just another yelling show channel".

It is odd that Aaron Brown was what you would call a "serious newsman," huh? Our own little Aaron?

I hope to see him at 10 p.m. on KING soon enough!

— Jim, Seattle

I am a big fan of Aaron Brown, and I say that as somebody who has worked in radio and print for 30 years. I am outraged by how he was forced out and I am also offended that a network which purports to be about NEWS is more concerned with pretty faces than with serious and incisive journalism. CNN is trying to be Fox Lite without the right-wing slant, and it won't work. Aaron had his faults, but NewsNight was one of the most intelligent and thoughtful shows on TV, with a love for good visuals as well as a respect for print journalism. I applaud you for your defense of Aaron and let's hope we haven't seen the last of him. Anderson Cooper is cute and likeable, but he ain't no Aaron Brown. If broadcast journalists are to be taken seriously, networks need to have both the adorable and the reliable. Aaron could always be counted on to be reliable and there's something to be said for that. Too bad being objective and doing excellent interviews is not enough to help him keep his job at CNN. [Cue the sound of Edward R. Murrow and other serious broadcast journalists spinning in their graves...]