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Hurting the press, the president and the country

Nov 12, 2018, 2:39 PM

Jim Acosta, the aggressively arrogant reporter for CNN, posed a recent question illustrating the biggest problem with the press.

Expert: Acosta video distributed by White House was doctored

The day after midterm elections, Acosta grilled the president by saying: “I want to challenge you on one of the statements that you made… that this caravan was an ‘invasion’ … As you know, Mr. President, the caravan was not an invasion.”

If Acosta had quoted Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer and then asked the president’s response, it would have been fair and appropriate, but it’s not a reporter’s job to “challenge” an official in his own name and his own voice.

Why not explore disagreements among politicians, without taking sides yourself? The undisguised anti-Trump contempt by leading journalists supports the idea that the nation’s biggest battle isn’t Democrats vs. Republicans, it’s the media vs. Trump: an impression that hurts the press, the president, and the country.

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Hurting the press, the president and the country