Two opposing sides had a bit of a showdown on CNN recently when The Young Turks host Ana Kasparian took on corporate media-at-large against conservative corporate darling Scottie Nell Hughes.

Kasparian was asked whether she felt that the media was out of touch with the American people due to their socioeconomic urban status.

In response, Kasparian said that like the political elite, corporate media chooses to fearmonger instead of focusing on issues that are most important to the success or failure of the U.S.

“So it’s really difficult for mainstream — let’s say, cable outlets — to talk about things like income inequality, wealth inequality when the advertisers that are funding their shows are the same corporations that want to ensure that the same system continues.”

Hughes tried to defend media as a whole, saying that the if-it-bleeds-it-leads adage of journalism is a good enough defense for ignoring more pressing issues like student loan debt in favor of focusing again and again on whether or not ISIS has infiltrated the states. Kasparian was having none of it.

“You’d rather fearmonger about non-existent threats inside the United States as opposed to focusing on the issues that are burdening our economy.”

Watch.

Sydney Robinson is a political writer for the Ring of Fire Network. She has also appeared in political news videos for Ring of Fire. Sydney has a degree in English Literature from the University of West Florida, and has an active interest in politics, social justice, and environmental issues. She would love to hear from you on Twitter @SydneyMkay or via email at srobinson@ringoffireradio.com