By Richard Moorhead

The CNN host believes alternative media took advantage of the situation.

CNN’s Brian Stelter responded to the revelation of Jussie Smollett’s likely hate hoax in a predictable, although laughable, manner in a segment on his network Saturday.

Stelter claimed that the story had been thoroughly “weaponized” by conservative media. He made a distinction between “strong, high quality news organizations” and their competitors, apparently living in an alternate reality in which CNN is the former.

The CNN host revised history, trying to claim that the mainstream media had covered the story carefully with an appropriate amount of skepticism. In reality, outlets such as CNN treated Smollett’s account with credibility from the get-go, only questioning the story when it became clear police were investigating the possibility of a hoax. Stelter went on to say that the story had been effectively weaponized by “random websites all over the web.”

Stelter left it unclear exactly what was “weaponized-” it’s possible he’s simply uncomfortable having to admit that mainstream media were exposed as naive dupes once again by their alternative media competitors.

CNN’s coverage of the incident is somewhat reminiscent of their reaction to another hate hoax, the now-discredited smears against the boys of Covington Catholic High School. In both incidents, the fake news network treated a narrative invented by progressives as factual when there was more than enough evidence to suggest it was less than truthful.

CNN presenter Don Lemon spoke of texting and calling Smollett every day in the aftermath of the fake “attack.” His exchange with the likely hoaxer doesn’t seem to have led him to consider that the attack, which was clearly unlikely to have occurred in the manner Smollett described from the beginning, was fake.