NBC Reporter Responds To Criticism Over Fetterman Interview

NBC News reporter Dasha Burns defended herself Wednesday against criticism over her interview with Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman.

Spectrum News ny1.com reports the interview was broadcast Tuesday on “NBC Nightly News” largely focused on the Democrat’s health five months after suffering a stroke. The Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, who faces former TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Republican, next month in the general election, is experiencing auditory-processing and word-retrieval issues but insists he’s fit to serve in Congress.

Fetterman required a computer monitor with real-time closed captioning for the interview, saying the system helps him precisely understand what someone is saying.

But it was Burns’ comment to anchor Lester Holt just before the interview aired that sparked debate over whether she was accurately describing Fetterman’s mental acuity. 

“In small talk before the interview without captioning, it wasn't clear he was understanding our conversation,” Burns said.

Rebecca Traister of New York Magazine and The Cut tweeted that she had recently interview Fetterman and found that his comprehension “is not at all impaired. He understands everything, it’s just that he reads it and responds in real time.”

Journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher wrote on Twitter: “Sorry to say but I talked to @JohnFetterman for over an hour without stop or any aides and this is just nonsense. Maybe this reporter is just bad at small talk.”

Molly Jong-Fast, another journalist and podcast host, said she, too, recently interviewed Fetterman and “he understood everything I was saying and he was funny.”

Other reporters, however, suggested the interview could damage Fetterman’s election hopes. 

New York Times correspondent Jonathan Martin tweeted that it was a “rough clip” for Fetterman and “will only fuel questions about his health.” CBS News White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe called it an “important interview with top Senate contender,” adding, “Will Pennsylvanians be comfortable with someone representing them who had to conduct a TV interview this way?"

Burns responded to the criticism Wednesday, writing on Twitter: “It's possible for two different reporters to have two different experiences w a candidate. Our team was in the room w him & reported what happened in it, as journalists do. Before & after closed captioning was on.

“We were happy to accommodate closed captioning,” she added. “Our reporting did not and should not comment on fitness for office. This is for voters to decide. What we do push for as reporters is transparency. It’s our job. Fetterman sat down and answered our questions. That’s his job.

Meanwhile, the interview and the social media reaction to it, also have drawn accusations of ableism. 

The Fetterman campaign did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday asking if it objected to anything about the NBC News interview. Fetterman tweeted Wednesday morning: “Recovering from a stroke in public isn’t easy. But in January, I’m going to be much better–and Dr. Oz will still be a fraud.”