The E. W. Scripps Company’s streaming news channel Scripps News has hired former CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota to serve as the co-anchor of its special events coverage — and she’s already landed an exclusive interview on her first day.
On Friday, Scripps News aired an interview between Camerota and journalist Don Lemon, who worked with her at CNN before he was fired three years ago. Lemon made headlines earlier this week after he was one of several people arrested at a Minneapolis church where a protest over immigration raids was taking place.
Federal prosecutors sought charges against Lemon, arguing that he violated the constitutional protections of worshipers at the church when protestors interrupted a service this past Sunday. Lemon said his involvement with the protest was that of a journalist, not a participant. Journalists frequently embed themselves with protestors during periods of civil unrest, and it can be difficult for law enforcement to distinguish between activists — some of whom possess professional-grade audio and video photography — and reporters who may film scenes with their phones.
On Thursday, a magistrate judge said there was no probable cause to charge Lemon, a move that has upset officials at the U.S. Department of Justice. Prosecutors could still seek an indictment from a grand jury or file charges on their own.
In his Scripps News interview with Camerota, Lemon said he believes prosecutors may still go after him, despite the absence of an arrest.
“I think it’s not over because it doesn’t matter if there’s no law to fit,” Lemon said during the interview. “They will try to fit or retrofit something or go around a judge and just do it themselves.”
The incident has drawn attention from conservative commentators, some of whom criticized law enforcement for not arresting Lemon. During the interview, Lemon also addressed his ongoing public dispute with Nicki Minaj, who criticized his reporting on the protest. The exchange escalated into personal attacks on social media.
Lemon said his criticism stemmed from what he described as concerns about Minaj’s past statements and conduct. “You shouldn’t because she’s a homophobe and she’s a racist,” Lemon said, adding that he believes her rhetoric targets Black Americans and members of the LGBTQ community.
Scripps used Camerota’s interview with Lemon as the foundation of its announcement on her hiring. Camerota will co-anchor special event coverage for Scripps News, which is available across major streaming platforms like Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, MyFree DIRECTV, Xumo Play and on YouTube. Scripps News is also available on some premium streaming apps like Youtube TV and Fubo.
Camerota is best known for her decade-long tenure at CNN, where she was the longest-serving anchor of the morning program “New Day” and hosted numerous primetime specials. Prior to CNN, Camerota worked as an anchor and correspondent at Fox News.
During her three-decade career in journalism, Camerota has earned two Emmy Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award for coverage of Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico and a DuPont-Columbia Award for reporting on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
