CNN’s Jim Acosta is very bitter about President Donald Trump’s Fake News Awards announced Wednesday.
Acosta was questioned about the awards by a Politico reporter during a forum Wednesday night, and he used the opportunity to take pot shots at the president as the “King of Fake News.”
“Some details have just come out about the Fake News Awards … CNN won several categories … I just want to get a response from the White House correspondent … just wondering if the recipients had any response,” Politico’s Cristiano Lima said at the press freedom event, hosted by the Newseum and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
“I would have to say, having been called fake news myself, the president of the United States is the king of fake news,” Acosta shot back to a mild applause. “He is the king of fake news. He said Barrack Obama was not born in this country. He said Mexicans are rapists and criminals. He has said many things. He said he lost the election because undocumented people voted by the millions. He said he had the largest inauguration crowd of all time. The list goes on and on.
“And I don’t want people to think I’m saying that because, you know, I’ve an ax to grind or I’m here to criticize or be political … It’s just a fact.”
Acosta’s comments represented his latest jab at the president in what’s become a particularly acrimonious relationship between CNN and the Trump administration, which regularly criticizes the news site’s blatantly biased coverage.
Recent polls have shown that media coverage of President Trump’s first year in office has been overwhelmingly negative, with up to 90 percent of coverage devoted to criticizing his administration, and Trump personally.
Four of Trump’s Fake News Awards were awarded to CNN for its bad reporting:
CNN FALSELY reported that candidate Donald Trump and his son Donald J. Trump, Jr. had access to hacked documents from WikiLeaks.
CNN FALSELY edited a video to make it appear President Trump defiantly overfed fish during a visit with the Japanese prime minister. Japanese prime minister actually led the way with the feeding.
CNN FALSELY reported about Anthony Scaramucci’s meeting with a Russian, but retracted it due to a “significant breakdown in process.”
CNN FALSELY reported that former FBI Director James Comey would dispute President Trump’s claim that he was told he is not under investigation.
Other Fake News Awards went to The New York Times’ Paul Krugman, who “claimed on the day of President Trump’s historic, landslide victory that the economy would never recover,” as well as a bungled report by ABC News’ Brian Ross about Trump allegedly instructing former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to meet with Russian officials.
The president’s awards took aim at a misleading photo of a largely empty stadium posted by The Washington Post that made it appear as though his sold-out rally in Pensacola was a dud, and a story in Newsweek that falsely claimed Polish First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda did not shake the president’s hand during a visit.
The Times also won a second award for a botched story about the Trump administration allegedly trying to hide a climate change report. The allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia rounded out the list.
“And last, but not least: ‘RUSSIA COLLUSION!’ Russian collusion is perhaps the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people. THERE IS NO COLLUSION!” according to the announcement, which also touted the president’s impressive progress ramping up the economy, squashing ISIS, and other important accomplishments.
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