Members from the “mainstream media” are in a rage after many of the MSM news outlets were barred from an off-camera “gaggle” at the White House on Friday.
CNN and other news outlets were blocked on Friday from attending an off-camera White House press briefing which was held in White House press secretary, Sean Spicer’s office. Specific news station reporters were hand-picked by the Trump admin to attend the meeting, raising tensions among media organizations and First Amendment watchdogs.
The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, BuzzFeed, the BBC and the Guardian were among the networks excluded from the meeting,
This weekend, Ben Stein, who was also a speechwriter and lawyer for President Nixon, was asked by CNN host Brianna Keilar for his thoughts on the ban and Trump’s ongoing references of the media as “the enemy.”
Turns out that was a bad idea.
Respected economist, Ben Stein, not only defended Trump, he ATTACKED the MSM as well, referring to the media as an “unelected aristocracy.”
He let ‘er rip:
“I don’t blame Mr. Trump one bit for doing it. He’s a punching bag, day after day after day in what’s called the mainstream media.”
Keilar persisted, “did you hear yesterday what he said at CPAC, where he’s talking about the media? (referring to Trump calling the media the ”enemy of the American people.”)
Stein was prepared for the cliche’ question:
“I wouldn’t say all the media are the enemy, but look, every day you pick up The New York Times. Everyday they’re slamming, slamming, slamming him.
What he said of CNN specifically is enough to knock your socks off:
“I’m a great fan of CNN. I watch it quite faithfully every day. CNN is slamming him, slamming him, slamming him. Every day they are looking for a scandal.
They are turning the woods upside down looking for a scandal. They are hoping, I think, to do what they did to Nixon a long time ago… I don’t blame him for being furious at them. He’s got a lot of company.
A lot of people are not great fans of the media — they see the media as an unelected aristocracy […] who are dumping all over the mainstream of America, and I think Mr.
Well, THAT didn’t go as planned.
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