By NICOLAS IPARRAGUIRRE<\/p>\n
This week, CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta had his press credentials suspended after a controversial incident during President Trump\u2019s post-midterm election press conference.<\/p>\n
The incident stemmed from Acosta repeatedly asking the president questions about the migrant caravan heading toward the southern border, with Trump eventually cutting Acosta off. When a female aide attempted to remove the microphone from Acosta\u2019s hand, he attempted to hold on and what has followed has been a circus.<\/p>\n
In response to the incident, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a doctored video of the incident, accusing Acosta of placing his hands on the female aide. Producing an edited video and denying access can objectively be seen as the Trump administration acting in totalitarian fashion, but the news media have turned a winning issue for credibility into a food fight with the president.<\/p>\n
Just last week, comedians Jon Stewart and Dave Chappelle sat down with CNN\u2019s Christiane Amanpour to discuss various issues about comedy, Trump, and the press today. In discussing the media\u2019s role in the age of Trump, Amanpour said, \u201cBut we the\u00a0journalists<\/em>, we I think believe that our job is to navigate the truth and do the fact-checking and all the rest of it.\u201d<\/p>\n While this may be true, and most journalists do have this intention, Stewart\u2019s response perfectly described why the news media have grown hostile in the face of Trump\u2019s constant attacks.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think the journalists have taken it personally,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cThey\u2019re personally offended and wounded by [Trump]. He baits them and they dive in — and what he\u2019s done well I thought was to appeal to their own narcissism, to their own ego.\u201d<\/p>\n Stewart’s understanding of the news media can be seen in Acosta\u2019s actions during the post-midterm press conference. Acosta was asking a question about a hot-button issue (the migrant caravan) but was overtaken by his own ego and lashed out. While the administration\u2019s response has been dishonest and possibly immoral, Acosta\u2019s own antics have allowed what should be a one-sided issue to become more complex than it should be. Had he remained totally respectful, it would be impossible for anyone to condemn him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By NICOLAS IPARRAGUIRRE This week, CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta had his press credentials suspended after a controversial incident during President Trump\u2019s post-midterm election press conference. The incident stemmed from Acosta repeatedly asking the president questions about the migrant … Continue reading