‘Why Can’t We Just Have the Truth?’: CNN’s Acosta, Breitbart’s Spiering Spar Over Trump Coverage
“I am not talking about an element of the truth. I am talking about the truth.” – CNN’s Jim Acosta dunks on Breitbart’s Charlie Spierling pic.twitter.com/w6D4POgZPN
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) April 12, 2017
CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta and Breitbart White House correspondent Charlie Spiering had a contentious exchange today about how various media agencies cover President Donald Trump.
The two correspondents were participating in a journalism forum at the Newseum in Washington D.C. and Fox News’ Bret Baier brought up how often Trump’s Twitter habits drive the conversation among the political media. Spiering opined that much of it has to do with CNN and other media taking a “completely hostile tone” towards Trump and not doing more to scrutinize people like Susan Rice.
Acosta countered Spiering by asking why conservative-leaning media is so quick to defend and forgive Trump whenever he makes groundless claims like being wiretapped inside of Trump Tower. Spiering argued that there was an “element of truth” in Trump’s tweets, and Acosta responded by saying this:
“Why can’t we just have the truth? That’s my question and that’s what––as much as people want to beat up on CNN, and go after CNN, and CNN sucks and that sort of thing, which your readers do and your side of the aisle does. I was with Steve Bannon the other day where he referred to us as the opposition party once again. We are not the opposition party, we are just trying to get at the truth. And when you have a side of the news media that just insists time and again that you know that CNN is out to get the president or out to get certain people in this country, I think it just does a tremendous disservice to all Americans. I don’t think it is American to go after a segment of the news media.”
Watch above.
[image via screengrab]
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