Theres an age-old rule in journalism that reporters should avoid interviewing people they know personally, especially their own family members, to avoid a manifest conflict of interest in their work.

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo and his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo , have spent the last several weeks unintentionally making a great case for that rule to be more aggressively applied, even though their on-air sibling antics and prop comedy have provided some much-needed levity during an endlessly dark news cycle.

The problem isnt their on-screen banter; its that one of CNNs top anchors is throwing softball questions at the man governing the epicenter of the coronavirus , all while evidence increasingly shows that his response to the outbreak was insufficient, especially for New Yorks most vulnerable age groups.

Of course, thats an uncomfortable thing for family members to discuss in a professional setting, so why CNN repeatedly books the governor on his brothers show baffles media watchdogs.

Obviously, no one is going to grill their sibling over this, Matthew Gertz , a senior fellow with watchdog group Media Matters tweeted Thursday, which is why they shouldnt be allowed to interview their sibling, this is pretty basic!