CNN PR Executive Shreds John Roberts’ Statement On Trump Presser: ‘Your Omission Is Glaring’
It looks like CNN isn’t buying what Fox News is selling.
Fox News chief White House correspondent John Roberts came under fire on Friday over the way he handled President Donald Trump brushing off CNN’s Jim Acosta and saying he won’t take questions from CNN because they are “fake news.” Roberts, who the president called on while dissing Acosta, went on to ask his questions without defending or standing up for Acosta, causing reporters and journalists to call him out.
Old enough to remember when other networks came to the defense of Fox News WH correspondents during the Obama years. Such did not happen here.
Lesson for the kids out there: no one should ever try to do the right thing with the expectation it will ever be reciprocated. https://t.co/Ym7E94k2Wz
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 13, 2018
Roberts went on the release a statement addressing the flap, which can be seen in full below:
“In today’s press conference, I paused while my colleague from CNN went back and forth with President Trump over a question. When it became clear that the president wasn’t going to entertain a question from him, I proceeded with my question, as did my fellow colleagues in the press corps. I know Kristen Welker of NBC. She is honest as the day is long. For the President to call her dishonest is unfair. I also used to work at CNN. There are some fine journalists who work there and risk their lives to report on stories around the world. To issue a blanket condemnation of the network as ‘fake news’ is also unfair.”
One thing that stands out in Roberts’ statement is that he doesn’t mention Acosta by name while simultaneously namechecking NBC News Kristen Welker, who also received criticism from the president for asking a tough question. Roberts also didn’t say Acosta’s name when he addressed it on air.
Let’s just say that at least one person at CNN isn’t enamored with Roberts’ comments. Shortly after Fox News released Roberts’ statement, CNN VP of Communications and Digitial Partnerships Matt Dornic tweeted out that it was a “nice try” but Roberts’ “omission is glaring and your compliment backhanded.”
Nice try, @johnrobertsFox. Your omission is glaring and your compliment backhanded. Next time try and show some class in the moment. And in your statement.
— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) July 13, 2018
He concluded his response by calling on Roberts to “try and show some class in the moment” next time out and “in your statement.”
Don’t hold back, Matt.
