CNN ex-producer SLAMS network for fake news, especially Jim Acosta

Fox News’ Tucker Carlson addressed on his program the problems with CNN’s “dual reality” in which he notes that the president of the news organization claimed that the way to success was nothing but “hard news, hard news, and hard news.” This piece was ironically called, “How Jeff Zucker made CNN great again.” Given the antics and the reputation that the cable network has earned for itself since this piece was written (August of 2016), it is at least ironic, if not amazing, to consider this.

Jeff Zucker may not have considered his reporter, Jim Acosta (tasked with the job of Senior White House correspondent), in regard to the high calling of hard news, as Acosta is making quite a name for himself in terms of slinging unsubstantiated and unvetted opinion across the nation and insisting that it be treated as objective journalism. The video below introduces this idea and gives the viewer several examples to this effect:

In the video we see Mr. Acosta and CNN more accurately presented as acting in the role of “opposition party.”

Now, this video was shot and released several months ago, back in November of 2017. But on June 29, 2018, a former CNN producer named Steve Krakauer followed up on this, taking to Twitter to blast Jim Acosta for what he called “self-serving antics”, and said that this behavior is giving “all good journalists a bad name.”

The event that sparked this reaction was when President Trump addressed the tragic matter of the Annapolis Capital Gazette newsroom shooting which took place on Thursday, June 27. This tweet shows a little of that statement:

Donald J. Trump on Twitter: “Before going any further today, I want to address the horrific shooting that took place yesterday at the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland. This attack shocked the conscience of our Nation, and filled our hearts with grief… pic.twitter.com/LALXGhk04b / Twitter”

Before going any further today, I want to address the horrific shooting that took place yesterday at the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland. This attack shocked the conscience of our Nation, and filled our hearts with grief… pic.twitter.com/LALXGhk04b

According to the Fox News report:

Acosta tried to link the shooting to past criticisms that Trump had leveled toward members of the media, including calling them “the enemy of the people.”

As the audience applauded at the end of the president’s speech, Acosta shouted from the back of the room: “Mr. President, will you stop calling us the enemy of the people, sir? Will you stop calling the press the enemy of the people, sir? Mr. President, will you stop calling the press the enemy of the people, sir?”

“Mr. President, will you stop calling the press the enemy of the people,” CNN Journalist Jim Acosta shouted at the end of Trump’s speech pic.twitter.com/FqWT5afwUV

— POLITICO (@politico) June 29, 2018

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The question drew no response from Trump.

“Truly an embarrassment, on multiple levels. Jim Acosta’s self-serving antics give all good journalists a bad name,” Mr. Krakauer tweeted about Acosta’s performance.

To say this was an inappropriate episode is probably unnecessary. But then again, if Mr. Acosta considers this appropriate behavior, then a counter and explanation may be necessary, and so Mr. Krakauer expanded on his thought:

Steve Krakauer on Twitter: “On a day journalists could honor the memory of fellow reporters tragically killed due to a deranged person with a vendetta going back years, Acosta tries to shift the blame to Trump, thus validating many Americans’ feelings about the Acela Media (that existed long before Trump). / Twitter”

On a day journalists could honor the memory of fellow reporters tragically killed due to a deranged person with a vendetta going back years, Acosta tries to shift the blame to Trump, thus validating many Americans’ feelings about the Acela Media (that existed long before Trump).

This is particularly relevant, because the gunman attacked a news agency and killed several people working there, and so this matter was obviously near and dear to the hearts of journalists who were gathered. It could be me, or my friends and colleagues next. At points in time like this, it seems to be in extremely poor taste to try and politicize the very recent deaths of innocent people.

But Mr. Acosta thought he could grandstand and try to insinuate that President Trump was the problem. He is not the only journalist to try such things these days. But as Senior White House Correspondent, he is certainly one of the most prominent.

Indeed, earlier reports from another journalist, Conor Berry, a reporter at The Republican in Springfield, Massachusetts who evidently thought similarly about President Trump as Jim Acosta, ended with that reporter’s resignation, for he falsely claimed in a tweet that the shooter, Jarrod Ramos, removed an MAGA (Make America Great Again) cap before opening fire. This was later revealed to be completely fabricated.

Mr. Acosta seemed unaware of any inappropriate behavior. In tweets after the news event, he simply said that the audience started cheering for Trump loudly enough to drown out his questions, and to try to “shush” them. And he simply said, “and of course, we are not going to be shushed.”

Jim Acosta on Twitter: “We also had a few folks who shushed is in the audience. Of course we are not going to be shushed. https://t.co/ZbSYaTVYti / Twitter”

We also had a few folks who shushed is in the audience. Of course we are not going to be shushed. https://t.co/ZbSYaTVYti