White House press secretary Sarah Sanders explained to CNN’s Chris Cuomo during a late Wednesday interview how journalists should be doing their jobs, because, she claimed, they have “quit reporting the news.”
Towards the end of their one-on-one discussion, Sanders was asked whether she thought her oftentimes combative relationship with reporters was “sustainable.”
“What I think what’s important to remember is that you guys get to ask the questions, but you can’t always complain about the answers,” Sanders replied. “You constantly ask the same question over and over and over again —”
“That’s the job,” Cuomo cut in.
“And expect different answers,” Sanders continued. “And get mad when the answers don’t change. No, the job is to get information and report the news. Unfortunately, you guys quit reporting the news. When I can read a news story and I have no idea what side of the story the reporter is on, that’s a good news story. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a lot of news that looks like that.”
[Related: White House reporters left fuming after Sarah Sanders cuts them off]
Earlier in the interview, Sanders zinged CNN for its lacking coverage that Trump signed a new veterans bill into law.
Cuomo said her “good news story” explanation suggests that every story is “even-handed,” which he added “isn’t demonstrably true. That everything is unknown. That’s not the truth.”
“The news isn’t an opinion,” Sanders said.
“Of course the news isn’t an opinion,” Cuomo agreed.
Sanders continued: “The news is reporting facts and letting other people make the decision.”
“That’s right. And if you won’t answer the question, Sarah, how can people do that?” Cuomo asked.
Sanders wasn’t having it.
“I answer questions all day, every day. It’s what I spend every minute of the day doing. It’s why I’m sitting here at 9 o’clock at night answering questions to you,” she said.
[Also read: CNN’s Chris Cuomo clashes with Sarah Sanders: ‘Have I ever taken a cheap shot at you?’]
