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Piers Morgan Gets in Twitter War With Radio Host Opie (of ‘Opie & Anthony’) Over CNN’s Endless Coverage of Newtown Shooter

Dec. 19, 2012 7:31am Mike Opelka

On Tuesday, CNN’s Piers Morgan and admitted shock jock Gregg “Opie” Hughes of Sirius Satelite Radio’s “Opie and Anthony Show” got into a war of words on Twitter. At the center of the battle between these two media stars was what Hughes calls CNN’s over-saturated coverage of the school shootings (and more specifically the shooter) in Newtown, CT.

This all started on Monday morning when “Opie” — tired of the endless coverage of the shooter on all of the media outlets — posted this video asking the media why it is not okay to show people running on the field at sporting events, but it is accepted and expected when news operations overwhelm their audiences with coverage of mass murderers like the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter? (Content warning: rough language)

After posting that video, Hughes started asking many of the hosts at CNN (via Twitter) about the network’s coverage of the story.

He started with Wolf Blitzer, and then continued through the on-air lineup.

Piers Morgan and Opie Get in Twitter War over Newtown Shooter, Murders

Image: Twitter

Tuesday brought more frustration to the Opie and Anthony radio show as the hosts debated why CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and others had virtually moved into Newtown, CT, and all of them were covering the funerals of the victims while repeatedly showing photos of the shooter and giving more details about his life.

Hughes echoed many of the thoughts from Roger Ebert about the media’s role in creating the next mass killer, and linked to a video that also supported this theory:

Tuesday afternoon, when CNN’s Piers Morgan started blaming violent video games Opie focused his Twitter laser on the Larry King replacement:

Image: Twitter

Morgan responded and the battle ensued. Piers even appeared to try and tone it down by telling Opie that he listened to the O&A radio show.

A short synopsis of the exchange is below:

OpieRadio: Hey @piersmorgan stop being so ignorant! I’d blame 24 hr news cycles before violent video games for the increase in school shootings!

Piers: @OpieRadio And I bet you radio guys have barely mentioned it, right? Don’t be such flaming hypocrites.

OpieRadio: Hey @piersmorgan I MEAN IDIOT I’ll guarantee we’ve taken a way more honest approach than stupid @cnnbrk including not focusing on shooter

OpieRadio: @PiersMorgan how badly does @cnnbrk want to put Chuck E Cheese in Google Maps to find more surviving 6 year olds to interview? #NotHelping

OpieRadio: @piersmorgan you don’t think @cnnbrk using the graphic “small coffins” is not sensationalizing the tragedy? At least I can sleep at night you phoney!

Piers: @OpieRadio You lead the way then, don’t mention another word about it. Then you won’t be such a shameless hypocrite.

OpieRadio: p.s. @piersmorgan U didn’t answer my question. Does the media influence others to shoot up a school. You’re not dumb but you are DISHONEST!

Piers: @OpieRadio I like you guys, but please stop being so ridiculous. You’ve covered this story and debated it, I’ve heard you

OpieRadio: @piersmorgan jesus it’s not about liking us! UR blowing off an important angle! DOES 24hr NEWS COVERAGE INFLUENCE FUTURE SCHOOL SHOOTINGS?

OpieRadio: @piersmorgan I made this simple video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjLetL-0RPI … would love to know what the difference is.

OpieRadio: @piersmorgan your silence to my question SPEAKS VOLUMES! #Checkmate @OpieRadio 1 @piersmorgan 0 Good day sir! btw soccer sucks!

Piers: @OpieRadio it’s not soccer, it’s'football’ – the real kind, no helmets, no pads, round ball, global audience….

OpieRadio: @piersmorgan I’d rather watch Mark Sanchez throw 4 more interceptions than that dreck! Just answer the question! Would be real journalism

Piers: @OpieRadio My answer is I think CNN’s coverage has been utterly outstanding – reporting the news with empathy, compassion and dignity.

OpieRadio: @piersmorgan Good for you guys BUT that wasn’t my question. I know that you know that you can’t honestly answer the question! #Face

In a conversation with TheBlaze, Opie let it be known that Morgan was more than welcome to call into the radio show and discuss the issue. Perhaps the uncensored format afforded by satellite radio would provide more clarity than the 140 character limit imposed by Twitter.

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Comments (61)

trueamerican40
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:39am
Europeans used to think that American culture and politics were a pile of dribble. Now, they are coming here in droves. Why? America is now a socialist, Godless country. They feel so at home now.

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term limits for congress
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:14am
If a muslim or barney frank committed the killings, we would have heard briefly about an incident of workplace violence and would be hearing more babble about the fiscal cliff and ACLU/nativity scenes.

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- dmvzone
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 12:26pm
  Absolutely right! It’s a sad commentary for this country.
  
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- pavepaws
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:51pm
  Or a non white shooter.
  
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RaydocX
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:47am
I have listened to them intermittently… will do so now more often.
but who is this Pierce guy they are talking about? /sarc

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Blazen420
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:39am
In my opinion, CNN coverage has been over the top and at times, disgusting. Can we get some news in this country without the propoganda?

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forthepeople
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:37am
Piers was laughed at and could not cut it ( draw a crowd ) in the UK so he came over here, and without his accent he would be waiting tables .

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- Mich9Bran
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 6:33pm
  Piers needs to get out of the USA I bet he has armed bodyguards ,He is not welcome here anymore,
  
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gyro
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:30am
jumping on the band wagon when the band wagon is exploiting the death of children is sad

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IndyGuy
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:30am
Piers??? Who the heck names their kid after a bunch of wood that you walk on???

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Uechi
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:13am
Morgan is a friggin limey. What does this moron know about the USA, The Declaration of Independence or the Constitution? Answer, nothing, all he knows is that thanks to guns we kicked the British out of America.

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- Tukadoodle
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:48pm
  A slimy Limey like the rest of these Britwits in Londonistan that are just cheap whores trying to genocide the Jews and America for far too long. Get out of the UN and NATO to stop these One World Soros frauds. This guy needs to be mugged so we can see him scream like the little girls they all are. The guy should be deported as he is taking a job illegally and has no value as a person or a ” news” reporter. All he can do is resort to their usual denial of too many facts once again.
  
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- smv803
  Posted on December 20, 2012 at 10:53am
  He’s not alone in ignorance of the Constitution, the Declaration and the Bill of Rights. The entire left wing nuts in DC and the country are as well. Piers fits right in!
  
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Blazen420
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:10am
Remove this communist trash out of our country!

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biohazard23
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:00am
Wait, the media says all of their violent and exploitative programming doesn’t harm anybody. All of the sex, violence, substance abuse, none if it has a negative influence on children and adults they say. Naturally the MSM is going to defend itself by claiming that they’re “just reporting the news” and that they can’t be held responsible for what someone does after viewing their coverage. But heaven forbid should Sarah Palin use a surveyor’s mark on her website….

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- gyro
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:29am
  this read this
  
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progressiveslayer
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:52am
Of course there’s oversaturation of the massacre by the media,does the endless coverage cause more violence? We’ve seen a couple incidents since the massacre but to say that the massacre at Newton and the subsequent unending coverage causes more violence is hard to say. We have the 24/7 coverage because the vultures ie media knows this sells,it’s as simple as that. How many times do we have to hear a lunatic murdered 26 people? We know what happened and the cause was a mentally disturbed young man so we have a mental health problem in this country that needs to be addressed.

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- debbiej
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 3:20pm
  I agree that we have a mental health problem in our country. I wonder why there is so little discussion about the pharmaceutical drugs that are given to those with mental health problems? Apparently many of the people who kill like this are on mind altering drugs. Ann Tracy has some good information on this subject.
  
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searching for the Truth
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:51am
Which , of course is inclusive of the media and film industry.

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searching for the Truth
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:47am
On the other hand, if the killer is satan , who flew planes into building , then one has to realize that it takes instructions from its own literature.

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IndyGuy
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:44am
Piers who???

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kickagrandma
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:31am
peirs should go home.

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- GeorgieJo
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:47am
  MEDIA STARS?
  Peircy Morgan is a flaming Liberal-Socialist Brit.
  Who is OPIE?
  is CNN still ON?
  
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ArmedAndReallyPissed
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:28am
We need to find GOD again before it is too late !

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees… I don’t feel threatened.. I don’t feel discriminated against.. That’s what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, ‘Merry Christmas’ to me. I don’t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn’t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it’s just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don’t like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don’t think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can’t find it in the Constitution and I don’t like it being shoved down my throat…
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren’t allowed to worship God as we underst

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- AmericanAirman
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 3:17pm
  This isn’t an atheist country…..but it’s also not a country based solely on any religion. 1st Amendment says freedom of and FROM religion. Not once is a god, jesus, or Christianity mentioned. So no, it’s not Atheist, but it’s also not Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or any other mythology that people choose to believe in.
  
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- mdalton_5117
  Posted on December 20, 2012 at 12:23am
  AmericanAirman – It doesn’t say freedom from religion. It only says freedom of religion. And don’t start with that separation of church and state nonsense. That’s not in there either.
  
  God is not mentioned? Who is the Creator that gives us our inalienable rights? Please enlighten us.
  
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piratetrucker
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:07am
Piers morgan is an emotional poor interviewer a tool and should stay out of tough issues and stick to entertainment news

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Hearmenow2
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:04am
Lets see its never Hollywood or the media thats to blame. They go through life flawlessly. Its never phyciatrists or the medicines they put our children on that are filled with black box warnings. Lets try another investigational study as the ads on television state free of charge. To dispense mind altering drugs. We sue everybody and everything in this country. When was the last time you heard the media or phyciatrists being sued. Hardly ever they put themselves above us all. Like they have all the answers. At least George zimmerman has the fortitude to finally sue NBC for defamation when they edited his words to make him look racist. Or on drudge this morning France holding phyciatrists accountable after a man hacked to death another person under his care. Lets face it evil exists and the culture is in decline.

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WildschweinJager
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:00am
Heard Morgan has been bringing down the ratings over at CNN.

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- smv803
  Posted on December 20, 2012 at 11:07am
  I used to watch him…there were times he would have very interesting people. I started noticing he would treat some better than others; at times be so biased and that was when I tuned him off. He has an agenda and I didn’t want to be a part of his ratings pool.
  
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OUTLAW_WEALTH
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 7:59am
What is the job of the media as the propaganda wing of the administration?

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OUTLAW_WEALTH
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 7:57am
I think there is a LOT more to the story than the official line.

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- ConnConservative
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:25am
  I live in CT. On fri pm, the media reported a second shooter in handcuffs. Their is video of a young boy sAying he police had a guy on the ground in handcuffs. The police tapes states “THEY are coming towards me…….we have him prone on the ground” check out you tube Idahopicker.
  
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blanco5
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 7:57am
Endless coverage of the shooter means not having to address fast and furious, benghazi, how the last election was stolen, you know, the not so important stuff.

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- Timinator257
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:08am
  DING DING DING! We have a winner!
  
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ImagineNoLibs
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 7:51am
Ramonoooone, Stick a fork in this British ****

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- Timinator257
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:11am
  Piers? Sounds like he’s fishin’ or somthin. tss, tss
  
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- ImagineNoLibs
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 12:14pm
  Chip? Is that you
  
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marvlus
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 7:37am
Sounds like two schoolchildren, perhaps 4-5 years olds?!

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Speak without Fear
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 7:34am
Bravo Opie and Anthony!!

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- harley3
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 7:46am
  I second that!!!!
  
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