Latest news with #DonieO'Sullivan
The Journal
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
CNN's Donie on America's view of Ireland (and how it can sometimes help him get MAGA on side)
IRISH CNN CORRESPONDENT Donie O'Sullivan is no stranger to an internet conspiracy theory. Since being caught in the middle of the events of 6 January 2021 in Washington DC, the Co Kerry man has reported on online rabbit holes, seeking to understand how conservative Americans feel about their country. 'Obviously, a lot has happened since then,' he said. '[But] we're still in the same place in America, you know. There's still a lot of people, even Trump, still talking about the 2020 election.' A year on from the Capitol attack, Americans don't have a shared understanding of what happened that day. We spoke to some people who are in deep denial. Produced by @jmoorheadcnn @McKennaEwen — Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) January 4, 2022 O'Sullivan spoke to The Journal on Zoom from his family home's couch in Cahersiveen with the dog, Sunny. He was home to speak to students about CNN's journalism academy at University College Dublin's campus, his old stomping ground. Day-to-day, O'Sullivan is typically exploring how American voters interact with disinformation. It is the topic of his new three-part podcast, called Persuadable. In it, he speaks to people who were once trapped in a world of falsehood, and touches on his own dealings with depression and anxiety as a way to examine how someone's frame of mind can impact their outlook. He said that people do not have to have a mental health diagnosis to believe in conspiracy theories, but believed the mental health aspect of the podcast was 'a way to unlock my empathy'. 'In Ireland and the US, more and more families are dealing with people in their life, a loved one, who is going down these rabbit holes. I was trying to get into this frame of mind.' He said that disinformation can sometimes answer all of life's problems – particularly for those who are going through a tough period. 'You can see that happening in some ways in the US at the moment,' he said. 'There obviously is an immigration problem in the US, but the way that immigrants are being blamed for every ill of society is irrational.' Empathy O'Sullivan makes a living speaking to people who could be described as conspiracy theorists. He recognises that he is, sometimes, meeting his interviewees at a low point in their lives. MisinfoNation -- Sunday, 8p ET @CNN @CNNOriginals @CNNPR — Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) April 9, 2025 It takes a high level of empathy to listen attentively to extreme views from people . O'Sullivan explained that he approaches each engagement differently in that context. Advertisement 'The one thing is to treat everybody we talk to with respect. It's really a fine line, because a lot of the people I meet have a grievance. 'A lot of times, something genuinely tough is happening in their life. Their town is changing, or the local factory shut down and they've lost a job. Bad stuff is happening. 'But then they are embracing ideas that, for them, they can say: 'Okay, this explains why. This is where I can channel my frustration'. That can sometimes manifest in things that are racist, homophobic, et cetera.' Unlike other US reporters, O'Sullivan works without the stress of daily deadlines. This allows him to connect with and select his interviewees more rigorously. 'Being Irish helps, for sure' What about being Irish? 'It helps, for sure,' he said, but explained that a lot of conservative Americans are surprised to see a 'short, fat Irish guy with a CNN microphone'. 'I actually realised more, over time, that a lot of the surprise comes less from, 'Oh, there's a boy from Cahersiveen in the middle of Alabama', and more that it's about my identity. 'In Ireland, I think we believe that Americans associate Ireland with the Kennedys and with Biden and with, basically, Democrats. 'Whereas, actually, a lot of Americans associate Ireland with Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity and conservatism – and a particular type of conservative Catholicism.' He added: 'What I found was a lot of Trump supporters have been surprised [by me], because they associate Ireland with conservatism and CNN with liberalism.' This conflation can also happen with Americans on the issue of Palestine. The US ambassador to Israel recently questioned whether Ireland had fallen into a vat of Guinness over proposals to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements. Meanwhile, pro-Palestine activists here say Ireland's solidarity with the people of Gaza and the West Bank is connected deeper to history and culture. O'Sullivan said he is often asked about Ireland's stance by others in the US, but said it relates to the views Americans expect Irish people to have. He said: 'When I go to Trump rallies, people say, 'Oh, aren't you a great Irish guy? You probably say ten decades of the rosary, and you're a conservative, and somehow they let you in CNN.' He added: 'But I also went to quite a few events for CNN last year, covering pro-Palestine demonstrations in the US, including at the Democratic National Convention, and I met a lot of people that without even asking said 'Oh, well, you're Irish, and we know the Irish people are with this cause.' 'It's quite interesting to see how people will automatically assume your views on something. People try and make this connection because people want to connect and have some sort of affinity, even if they say that they hate the mainstream media,' O'Sullivan added. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
CNN
16-07-2025
- CNN
Ireland is opening its mass grave of 796 babies
In the small Irish town of Tuam, Ireland, nearly 800 babies and young children disappeared — their remains hidden in a septic tank beneath a housing estate. Decades later, families are still searching for answers. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan reports.
Irish Examiner
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Donie O'Sullivan wins Emmy — but ‘still no South Kerry Championships'
Senior CNN correspondent and proud Caherciveen man Donie O'Sullivan has won an Emmy for outstanding new coverage. O'Sullivan was recognised for his work on the three-part documentary MisInfoNation which was broadcast as part of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper during the US election coverage. He led the reporting in three hour-long CNN specials. Celebrating the win, O'Sullivan posted a photo on Instagram with the caption: 'Won an Emmy!!! (Still no South Kerry Championships).' The South Kerry man has been working with CNN since 2016 and rose to international prominence for his reporting during the 2021 US Capitol attack. His work has covered the impact of social media on politics and in 2022 his own Twitter account was among several journalists' accounts that were suspended after covering the social media site's owner Elon Musk, who accused O'Sullivan of violating Twitter's policy on doxing. O'Sullivan was previously nominated for News Emmy awards in 2020, 2021 and 2024. Read More Jeff Bezos alters Venice wedding plans after threat of inflatable crocodiles
CNN
15-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Why We Believe Crazy S**t —And What We Can Do About It - The Assignment with Audie Cornish - Podcast on CNN Audio
Why We Believe Crazy S**t —And What We Can Do About It The Assignment with Audie Cornish 33 mins Conspiracy theories are not new. They're as old as time itself. But if you feel like they're everywhere right now, you're not alone. So, what do you do when somebody you love has fallen down a rabbit hole? CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has been covering the world of misinformation for more than a decade, but now he's less interested in what people believe than why they believe it. So, he's trying to find out. Listen to Persuadable and follow The Account from CNN here .
New York Post
05-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
CNN's Donie O'Sullivan pushes back on ‘annoying' liberals who criticize ‘humanizing' Trump supporters
CNN correspondent Donie O'Sullivan is pushing back against progressive critics who rip journalists for 'platforming' and 'humanizing' supporters of Donald Trump and believers in conspiracy theories. O'Sullivan said complaints from the left about humanizing such individuals miss the point and that he's grown tired of the backlash he receives from some liberal viewers. 'The thing I get a lot—a question that always normally comes from the left online—is, 'Why are you humanizing this person? Why are you humanizing this human being?'' O'Sullivan said during a wide-ranging conversation to promote his new podcast 'Persuadable.' 3 CNN correspondent Donie O'Sullivan is pushing back against progressive critics who accuse journalists of 'platforming' supporters of Donald Trump. CNN 'I find it so… just… really… annoying!' He also dismissed the idea that refusing to give air to false ideas has done anything to stop their spread. 'The platforming argument's just bogus because all this stuff is happening anyway,' he said. Joining the discussion was CNN correspondent Elle Reeve, who has also spent years covering fringe movements and disinformation. Reeve agreed with O'Sullivan's frustration over the 'platforming' debate and said the critique is both morally misguided and strategically flawed. 'I'm right there with you, dude! It's like, it's infuriating,' she said. 'Because one, it is wrong — obviously—on a top-level. We're all human beings. Dehumanization is bad. But two, it doesn't work. You lost. Look at the world. The idea that if you ignore it, it goes away has completely failed. The no-platforming concept has completely failed. It is totally bankrupt.' 3 O'Sullivan said complaints from the left about humanizing such individuals miss the point and that he's grown tired of the backlash he receives from some liberal viewers. CNN O'Sullivan said that approaching interviewees with a goal of changing their minds or proving them wrong is not only ineffective — it ends the conversation before it begins. 'If I want to have a constructive conversation… I just have to accept that they don't believe the 2020 election was fair. I have to accept that sometimes they think the COVID vaccine is a microchip going in under your skin,' he said. 'And if I get hung up on that, if I say, 'Well, no, you're wrong and here's why and I'm going to change your mind,' then that's the end of the conversation.' 3 O'Sullivan said that approaching interviewees with a goal of changing their minds or proving them wrong is ineffective. CNN Rather than confronting misinformation head-on in interviews, O'Sullivan said his approach is to understand the ecosystem that allows it to thrive. 'I've always been most interested in misinformation from a phenomena point of view — how it spreads, why people believe it, how people are making money off it,' he said. 'That's how I've approached it. I think so many of my colleagues in this space want to correct the record. It upsets them that people believe stuff that is false.' O'Sullivan's three-part podcast, 'Persuadable,' debuts this week and explores how people form — and sometimes change — their beliefs in an age of information chaos.
