NBC News refused to report on a retweet from Donald Trump of a Drudge story because it contains unconfirmed information.
Donald Trump retweeted:
Fears of new terror attack after van 'mows down 20 people' on London Bridge…
— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) June 3, 2017
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Trump then tweeted a plea for his travel ban as a tool to fight terrorism:
We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2017
NBC News refused to report on Trump’s tweet because the information was not confirmed:
Pres. Trump has used Twitter to share news report on London incident.
We aren't relaying president's retweet, as the info is unconfirmed.
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) June 3, 2017
The White House has at the time of publication not released an official statement on the London Bridge incidents, but Trump’s retweet of Drudge was irresponsible because the President Of The United States should not be tweeting unconfirmed information.
This is what the presidency has come to.
The press can’t report on what Trump tweets, because the accuracy of the information can’t be trusted.
Trump has so little credibility that the media isn’t trusting his retweets and tweets.
UPDATE: NBC NEWS reported on Trump’s tweets apparently because they are the only White House reaction, a few hours after they were posted. This confirms that NBC refused to run Trump’s tweets before the info was independently confirmed.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
