Far be it for us to take up for CNN, but today’s manufactured circus courtesy of the accurately-named Ben Jealous and the NAACP was another example of how hard that organization has to work in order to justify its existence.

Because now that CNN got rid of Client #9 and reset its primetime cable news lineup, the NAACP has noticed there are no African-Americans in the group.

In a press release issued this morning, the NAACP condemned 24-hour cable news channel CNN for its recently announced prime time news lineup, calling the lack of diversity in its collection of news anchors a “glaring omission.”

“The NAACP is deeply concerned with the lack of African American journalists in prime time news, both on cable and national news shows,” NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said in the statement. “We have come to expect this from the likes of Fox News, but not other networks. While we understand that news is now a 24-hour cycle, most Americans get their news from the morning and evening prime time broadcasts.”

The new CNN news lineup, which was announced yesterday, features John King, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett and Piers Morgan.

Of course they had to throw Fox News in. Because Arthel Neville, Harris Faulkner and Kelly Wright don’t count. Or Juan Williams, who’s on all the time.

None of them count.

Apparently, neither to Don Lemon, Fredricka Whitfield or T.J. Holmes, who anchor on CNN. They just don’t get a prime-time show. Know why? Because CNN doesn’t think any of them will add audience if they got a prime-time show.

Maybe Jealous thinks he’s more important than the market.

Note to Benny…you ain’t. The market rules. If a black guy or black gal brings in ad dollars, said black guy/gal will get a time slot. That’s how it works in TV.

What the hell kind of name is Jealous, anyway? And does the NAACP have a vice president named Laughable?