CNN's Acosta Accused Of 'Performance Journalism'

Jim Acosta

The Atlantic, in a Tuesday op-ed written by Todd Purdum, accused CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta of contributing to the “debased ritual of performance art that the White House briefing has become.”

Acosta, Purdum argued, has been in the news recently because of the manner in which he asks questions more often than because of the questions he asks.

He has made himself a part of the story in a way that actively fosters the perception held by many Americans — and capitalized on to great effect by President Donald Trump — that the media, or at least certain media personalities, are the enemy of the American people.

Purdum wrote:

"Whenever a reporter who has not been kidnapped by terrorists, shot by an assailant, or won a big prize becomes an actor in her own story, she has lost the fight. Or in this case, reinforced the corrosive, cynical, and deeply dangerous feedback loop that has convinced Trump’s most fervent supporters that his relentless brief against the press has merit: FAKE NEWS! SAD!"

The Daily Caller reports former White House press secretary Ari Fletcher agreed, noting that Acosta’s methods were only hurting other reporters who might be painted with the same broad brush.