Page 30 - ATODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 13 december 2016
CNN’s Jake Tapper pushes for

answers and then pushes more

DAVID BAUDER praised the new appoin- didn’t answer it the third
AP Television Writer tee as a “dedicated fam- time, it was clear he didn’t
NEW YORK (AP) — Jake ily man” whose son had want to answer it,” Graham
Tapper’s verbal tug-of-war given some minor sched- said. “By the time you’re
with Vice President-elect uling help. Tapper tried asking it a seventh time, it’s
Mike Pence last week illus- again, and again. “I want clear that you’re beating
trated a persistent style the to move on to other issues the horse into paste.”
CNN anchor is making his but I’m afraid we just didn’t Others see in Tapper an ad-
signature, and one that he get an answer,” he said. mirable example of some-
In this June 20, 2016 file photo, CNN news anchor Jake Tapper hopes his colleagues take “Were you aware that the one who takes seriously a
attends the Museum of the Moving Image’s 2016 Industry Tribute up, too. transition team put in for a journalist’s duty to keep an
in New York. Tapper asked Pence eight security clearance for Mike eye on elected officials.
Associated Press
times about the son of Lt. Flynn, Jr.?” “When you challenge
Gen. Michael Flynn, the As Pence employed other somebody, even if you do
incoming administration’s tactics — saying the young it politely, there are risks,”
pick as national security Flynn wasn’t helping his fa- Tapper said. “We as hu-
adviser, before getting a ther anymore and that the mans are wired to avoid
somewhat direct answer. media wanted to create a conflict, avoid discomfort.
Tapper wanted to establish distraction for the transition When you ask follow-ups
whether Pence was aware — you could read the cal- you are going toward con-
that Flynn’s son, who had culation on Tapper’s face. flict and toward discomfort.
trafficked in conspiracy At what point does con- And you don’t want the
theories online, had re- tinuing become counter- viewers feeling uncomfort-
ceived a national security productive, making Tapper able, that you’re beating
clearance for work on the seem like a bully and the somebody up or being un-
transition to a Trump ad- exchange more of an is- fair.
ministration. sue than the actual ques- “Obviously nobody wants
It wasn’t the first time Tap- tion? Tapper risked estab- to not ever get any inter-
per has shown pit bull-like lishing himself as an enemy views again with a new
tendencies when an in- to Trump’s supporters and administration,” he said.
terview subject avoided a saw valuable time ticking “These aren’t new dilem-
question. Interviewing Don- away to address other sub- mas for me or anybody else
ald Trump in June, Tapper jects with Pence. in the media.”
needed to ask his question Tapper pressed forward, Tapper suspects his work
about the judge in a case eventually moving on after has affected his access. He
against Trump University, or Pence said the “appropri- noted that he didn’t get in-
try to interrupt a filibuster, ate paperwork” had been terviews with Trump or Clin-
nearly two dozen times. filed on the young Flynn’s ton after June, although,
“Far too many people in behalf. to be fair, both candidates
television provide a safe Tim Graham of the conser- sharply curtailed media ac-
space for politicians in- vative watchdog Media cess after earning nomina-
stead of pushing back and Research Center said he tions.
saying ‘you didn’t answer generally admires Tapper Tapper’s efforts have at-
this question,’” said Tap- for the journalist’s willing- tracted attention outside of
per, host of the weekday ness to ask tough questions journalism. In recent weeks,
afternoon show “The Lead” of both Republicans and late-night comics Saman-
and Sunday’s “State of the Democrats. He certainly tha Bee and Trevor Noah
Union” interview program. can annoy both sides: in both gave Tapper unprint-
It’s not as easy as it sounds. emails leaked this fall, Clin- able “awards” for hacking
When Tapper first posed ton campaign chairman through political weeds.
his question to Pence, the John Podesta calls Tapper Still, there’s much more
politician was smooth and a profane name for a jerk, work to come.
genial in avoiding the point and a colleague heartily “I’ve never seen anything
entirely, presumably in an agrees. like the brazen falsehoods
attempt to avoid offer- With Pence, “some could and conspiracy theories
ing an easy headline. He argue that by the time he that the press has had to
deal with,” Tapper said.
“Unfortunately, the easi-
er thing to do is refer to a
crazy conspiracy theory
as a claim and report that
some people challenged
the claim. But truth and de-
cency matter. If we’re not
going to call people out
when they’re saying things
that are untrue, who is?”q