[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]
Fredricka Whitfield put on the kid gloves for Marion Barry on the 13 July 2014 edition of CNN Newsroom, and acclaimed the former D.C. mayor as a "visionary." Whitfield skirted mentioning every single controversy Barry has been involved in through his long career save one – his "infamous drug bust in 1990." She also spotlighted the Democrat's conspiracy theory that the FBI set up the sting to take him down for helping the poor: "You draw that correlation that all of those things that you did for the underserved community...and the design of this drug bust."
The anchor deferentially let Barry take credit for everything supposedly going well with the city of Washington, D.C., but failed to bring up the fact that the District became the "murder capital" of the U.S. during his tenure as mayor. Whitfield set the tone with her beyond softball first question to the current city councilman:
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: So, this comes across as amazingly honest, revealing – very personal. This is a journey through your civil rights movement; your D.C. political career; the drug bust, as I mentioned; the fall; the hurt that you and many experienced; the climb afterwards. And I really am kind of simplifying here, but you say – you know, quote, 'I want people to gather the truth from me, rather than from a T-shirt.' Elaborate.