CNN FAIL: Real News Must Wait While Most Powerful Man in the World Is Telling Jokes

Here’s what CNN was reporting while angry mobs were rampaging in the streets of Baltimore Saturday night:

Meanwhile, at least a dozen protesters were arrested in Baltimore as violence erputed and thousands took to the streets protesting the death of Freddie Gray, who died a week after suffering a spinal cord injury while in police custody earlier this month.

But the so-called Nerd Prom was calling and celebrity-obsessed CNN came running, sounding like a bunch of squealing teeny boppers reporting on a One Direction concert as they tweeted out “breaking news” about the event:

Washington wonks, media darlings are trooping up the red carpet for #WHCD. Watch CNNgo http://t.co/nM0NMNkNCE

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 25, 2015

Obama's motorcade arrives at #WHCD, met by waving, cheering crowd. Watch CNNgo http://t.co/nM0NMNkNCE

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 25, 2015

Who is the funniest president? Reply with Obama, Bush 43 or Clinton using #CNNVote http://t.co/QbDnduGCQ6 #WHCD pic.twitter.com/RO07zouZmm

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 25, 2015

Obama had one motto at the #WHCD: Take no prisoners http://t.co/hRKaWqD5M1 pic.twitter.com/F0HK0fJbzf

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 26, 2015

CNN correspondent Errol Louis admitted that the star-studded media schmooze-fest had taken priority over the actual news, advising viewers to head over to Twitter to search for a live feed if they wanted to know what was happening in Baltimore. “If people want to know…yes, twelve people were arrested…the Baltimore police have tweeted that. You can find that now. You can find the live feed if you actually wanna watch what’s going on — it sounds like complete chaos,” Louis said during CNN’s coverage of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. But he defended the network’s decision saying, “The most powerful man in the world is going to tell some jokes.”

Journalism may be in its death throes at CNN, but at least it looks like Dana Bash, Wolf Blitzer, and senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta had a great time, so it wasn’t a complete loss.

Check out CNN table 92 featuring Jane Fonda, @wolfblitzer and CNN president Jeff Zucker #WHCD pic.twitter.com/mQ8dkmMG79

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) April 26, 2015