Gisele Fetterman Wants to Know Why Journalist Dasha Burns Isn’t Facing ‘Consequences’ for Interview With Husband John Fetterman
On her podcast, Fast Politics, author and journalist Molly Jong-Fast asked Gisele Barreto Fetterman, wife of Democratic Pennsylvania Senate candidate, John Fetterman, about an interview of her husband that resulted in controversy and accusations of ableism this week. Mrs. Fetterman expressed outrage that the reporter has not faced any “consequences” for it.
When NBC News reporter Dasha Burns interviewed the Pennsylvania candidate, he relied on a closed-caption display as a visual aid, due to what he and his campaign have characterized as “audio processing” issues he’s experienced following a stroke this year.
While talking about the interview, Burns noted that he did indeed seem to have issues processing conversation that was strictly based on processing audio, without the aid of closed-captioning, as he had stated. But her confirmation of Fetterman’s description of his situation was met with widespread outrage from fellow journalists and liberal media figures after it was shared and discussed in the conservative media.
Jong-Fast brought up the interview by claiming that Burns “took some liberties” with her supposition of his health.
“How did you feel?” she asked.
“I don’t like saying rage because I think that’s a really unhealthy feeling, and when you feel those things, it only harms yourself,” said Fetterman. “But I just, you know, what a disservice that she did to not only my husband, but to anyone facing a disability and working through it.”
Fetterman made it clear she felt there should have been punishment and shared her consternation that there hasn’t been.
“I don’t know how there were not consequences, right?” she said. “I mean, there are consequences for folks in these positions who are any of the -isms. I mean, she was ablest and that’s what she was in her interview.”
She also took direct aim at NBC News and other media outlets for not reporting about her husband in the way she feels would be appropriate.
“It just shows there’s so much work to do. But these networks have to take accountability, right? Like, where is your training, right?” Fetterman said. “It was appalling to see and you see that in schools. You see that with young children. You don’t expect to see it at this level.”
“You know, I haven’t heard an apology,” she added. “It hasn’t come. I am hopeful that they will reflect and see that they did an incredible disservice to all Americans.”
Earlier this week NBC News stood by the reporting and the interview in a statement praising Burns as a journalist.
“Dasha is a widely respected beat reporter on the Pennsylvania Senate race and has provided in-depth reporting from the state for the better part of the last year. We stand behind her extensive coverage of all the important dimensions of this year’s Senate campaigns,” it said.
Listen to the clip above, via Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast.
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