In an extraordinary move, CNN's staff, from social media to video to editorial to MoneyStream, has been told, "No Russia reporting for you!" without adult supervision.

No one should publish any content involving Russia without coming to me and Jason," CNNMoney executive editor Rich Barbieri said in an email obtained by BuzzFeed. "This applies to social, video, editorial, and MoneyStream. No exceptions." The "Jason" referred to in the email is a vice president at CNN, according to BuzzFeed.

Hear that? No exceptions.

Sounds as though someone's been playing hooky from actual news-gathering and has gone off to the peep shows or something.

The leaked memo comes in the wake of a string of embarrassments in the network's Russia coverage, with CNN living up to its nickname, "fake news," bestowed President Trump. How could stories that had to be retracted – downright pulled from the website – be anything else?

It's probably a reasonable response, given that the network's claim about Trump transition team member Anthony Scaramucci claiming he was under investigation for Russia ties turned out to be pure garbage, and the network had to apologize to him, probably to stay out of libel court.

But oh, what an embarrassing thing to get out in the journalism world! Not just the order to clear it with the adults, but the leaked memo, too.

The thing is, it signals that CNN's reporters and writers don't have sufficient news judgment to report on this topic without adult supervision. Apparently, word has gotten around on the left that pretty much any old thing can be made up and any innuendo leaked with impunity at CNN. Imagine the newsroom atmosphere where every reporter has suddenly allowed himself to be used as flypaper – for scurrilous, made up, cooked up, invented lies.

Apparently, they've gotten away with it for so long that it's how they do business. And now the executives have sought to stop it and maybe restore the news agency's now missing credibility.

Once upon a time, CNN was an innovator in news production. I remember how the network was known for hiring non-telegenic journalists to send the explicit message that CNN hired not cupcakes based on pretty faces, but only the most talented and professional journalists.

Their problem now isn't pretty or unpretty faces, but whether their reporters want to report the news or content themselves with being a public relations vehicle for every ignorant, malevolent, and partisan whack-job on Capitol Hill; the non-government agencies; the out-of-work Obama dead-enders; and perhaps their holdovers still in the White House. Does that sound like a dignified role?

Apparently, the execs of the place have taken notice.