Readers React: Why is anyone surprised by Sean Hannity’s lack of journalistic ethics?

To the editor: President Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen was forced to reveal that Fox News host Sean Hannity has been one of his clients, a revelation that was followed by a loud outcry that Hannity has breached journalistic ethics by not revealing this conflict of interest. (“Judge orders Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to reveal a secret client: Sean Hannity,” April 16)

The problem is that Hannity is not a journalist but an entertainer. His show, which attracts Trump fanatics in possession of their own “truth,” is a protracted puff piece for the president.

As opposed to an objective journalist, Hannity has all the credibility of a carnival barker. Why even bother to insinuate that he is anything else?

Alan Abajian, Alta Loma

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To the editor: Trump has whined that the attorney-client privilege is dead and that “all lawyers are deflated and concerned” because the FBI executed a court-approved search warrant for materials held by his attorney.

I can say with 100% certainly that Trump’s assertion is false.

I’m a retired lawyer who worked at a federal angecy for 27 years, and I am overjoyed that the FBI is using the “crime-fraud” exception to the attorney-client privilege to look for evidence that Cohen and possibly Trump have committed illegal acts.

Trump consistently acts as if the law doesn’t apply to him or his minions. The investigations into Trump, Cohen and others are a needed signal that we are, and should always strive to be, a nation of laws, not despots.

Ray McKown, Rancho Palos Verdes

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To the editor: Should any of us be surprised or even concerned to learn that Fox News management has no problem with Hannity failing to disclose his relationship with Cohen?

Sure, if Fox News were a legitimate news organization, this would be viewed as a serious breach of trust. But for Fox News, the revelation is surely seen by management simply as an excellent plot twist in its dramatic narrative.

Way to go, Sean!

Claire Montgomery, Los Angeles

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