MSNBC and NBC News are refusing to apologize to Trump for their story about Sec. of State Rex Tillerson calling Trump a moron because Tillerson never refuted key points of the story.
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In response to Trump’s demand that NBC News apologize to America, MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson said, “Safe to say NBC News will not be issuing an apology to America, as the president is calling for, because again, gotta underscore the secretary did not refute directly some of the key points in your piece.”
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There is no reason for NBC/MSNBC to apologize. Judging from the comments of Sec. Tillerson, their report was accurate. When Trump demands an apology for America, what he is demanding is an apology for himself. Trump seems to think that as president, he is America. Donald Trump tried to bully the free press into not telling the truth about the dysfunction in his White House.
Unless concrete evidence is provided by the White House, there is nothing for NBC to apologize for. The free press should never be forced to apologize for doing their jobs and reporting on the country’s leaders. If the media ever begins apologizing to presidents for stories that they don’t like, it will signal the death of the free press.
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
