Actually, I think it PROVES how much CNN is trying to be fair. They knowingly and intentionally BY THEIR OWN DOING surrounded Trump with an audience that would be very favorable toward Trump and would be against Collins. As your own article says, the audience was all Trump supporters or independents. That was not by accident. CNN balanced the equation because their own reporter was going to do her job and grill him, not softball him. (If this has been Biden being interviewed, you'd tear her to shreds if she softball HIM!)
CNN could have stacked the deck easily with an audience that would have loved them and Collins or, at least, with an audience that would be balanced. They chose not to, regardless of how that positioned them. They chose an audience biased strongly in Trump's favor -- for the most part, his own rally crowd. (Had they been in blue territory and chosen a blue audience, you wouldn't have been able to say any of what you said above because they would have all applauded Collins and booed Trump, and he would have been standing on his left foot.) Standing before an audience that you know by tradition leans strongly away from you and toward the person you will be grilling is far from an easy thing to do. Collins had the guts to stand strong in audience that she KNEW would be against her and would be likely to applaud for Trump. That is a bold thing to do to yourself on national TV!
Actually, I think it PROVES how much CNN is trying to be fair. They knowingly and intentionally BY THEIR OWN DOING surrounded Trump with an audience that would be very favorable toward Trump and would be against Collins. As your own article says, the audience was all Trump supporters or independents. That was not by accident. CNN balanced the equation because their own reporter was going to do her job and grill him, not softball him. (If this has been Biden being interviewed, you'd tear her to shreds if she softball HIM!)
CNN could have stacked the deck easily with an audience that would have loved them and Collins or, at least, with an audience that would be balanced. They chose not to, regardless of how that positioned them. They chose an audience biased strongly in Trump's favor -- for the most part, his own rally crowd. (Had they been in blue territory and chosen a blue audience, you wouldn't have been able to say any of what you said above because they would have all applauded Collins and booed Trump, and he would have been standing on his left foot.) Standing before an audience that you know by tradition leans strongly away from you and toward the person you will be grilling is far from an easy thing to do. Collins had the guts to stand strong in audience that she KNEW would be against her and would be likely to applaud for Trump. That is a bold thing to do to yourself on national TV!
—David Haggith