Valparaiso YMCA Bans CNN From TVs over Fake News

[MikeWB]

Hahahah



CHICAGO (CBS) — Not long after President-elect Donald Trump accused CNN of being "fake news" and refused to take a question from a CNN reporter, the Valparaiso Family YMCA has declared the channel off-limits in its workout room.

"To me, it's blatant censorship that I find very surprising," said Greg Quartucci, who has been a member of the YMCA in Valparaiso for more than a decade.

He said CNN has been a fixture on a TV at the Valparaiso Y for years.

"The timing of this was very peculiar because I think it was basically a day or two after Mr. Trump claimed that CNN was fake news," Valparaiso YMCA member Greg Quartucci said. "I think they switched to the cooking channel."


He said the Y turned off CNN shortly after Trump's angry confrontation with CNN correspondent Jim Acosta at a news conference last week. When Acosta tried to ask a question at Trump's first post-election news conference, the president-elect repeatedly shut him down.

"No, not you, your organization is terrible. Quiet. Quiet," he said. As Acosta continued trying to ask a question, talking over another reporter, Mr. Trump continued: "Don't be rude. Don't be rude. Don't. Be. Rude. I'm not going to give you a question. You are fake news."

Quartucci said the Y has given in to a minority who complained about CNN, and he called it "blatant censorship."

"It is a Christian organization. It's all about freedom and opportunity, and what they're doing, I personally think is against what they have on their walls and against what they have as their mission," he said.

A statement from the Valparaiso Y said:

"In order to eliminate perceived political bias associated with national news outlets, the Valparaiso Family YMCA will only be showing local news channels in the future."

[maz]

I work out at several YMCAs around town. In the men's locker room the teevee shows FOX only, but in the workout areas the employees can change the channels. If they are not showing some sports game, it's usually CNN.

The Y also shares Target's transgender policy. I haven't heard of any instances but I said if I ever do then I'm cancelling my membership and will make a big deal about it.

[MikeWB]

Are YMCAs franchises?  If that's the case, that explains the discrepancy.

[maz]

I don't think they are franchises, and no YMCA is the same either. From Wiki.

Organisational model

A federated model of governance has created a diversity of YMCA programmes and services, with YMCAs in different countries and communities offering vastly different programming in response to local community needs.[16] In North America, the YMCA is sometimes perceived to be primarily a community sports facility; in Great Britain, the YMCA is sometimes perceived to be primarily a place for homeless young people; however, it offers a broad range of programmes such as sports, personal fitness, child care, overnight camping, employment readiness programmes, training programmes, advice services, immigrant services, conference centres, and educational activities as methods of promoting its values.

Financial support for local associations is derived from programme fees, membership dues, community chests, foundation grants, charitable contributions, sustaining memberships, and corporate sponsors.