Jake Tapper takes on the White House

Subject: txt msm bias gdd crpt reps libs -
Jake Tapper — like Brit Hume and Sam Donaldson before him as ABC News White House correspondents — is holding the administration’s little feet to the big fire.

Today’s exchange with Robert Gibbs, presidential spokesman:

Tapper: It’s escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations “not a news organization” and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization. Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one –

(Crosstalk)

Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.

Tapper: But that’s a pretty sweeping declaration that they are “not a news organization.” How are they any different from, say –

Gibbs: ABC -

Tapper: ABC. MSNBC. Univision. I mean how are they any different?

Gibbs: You and I should watch sometime around 9 o’clock [O'Reilly Report] tonight. Or 5 o’clock [Glenn Beck] this afternoon. [Both opinion shows, airing across MSNBCs Olberman and Maddow - not mentioned]

Tapper: I’m not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I’m talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a “news organization” — why is that appropriate for the White House to say?

Gibbs: That’s our opinion.

READ MORE