CNN Throws Tantrum After Being ‘Barred’ From EPA Press Event

The folks at CNN were fuming Tuesday after a correspondent and her cameraperson, along with those from the Associated Press, were kept out of a press event held by the EPA to discuss a plan to deal with a certain kind of toxin in water supplies.

And during The Situation Room that evening, a host of CNN personalities threw hissy fits about not being allowed in. They even seemed to suggest the EPA couldn’t be held accountable unless CNN was in that room.

To discuss what happened from CNN’s point of view, anchor Wolf Blitzer brought on government regulation correspondent Rene Marsh, who was one of the reporters who was kept out, to describe what happened.

“Our photographer briefed her on what the situation was. She entered the building and just about five minutes later our CNN photographer saying all he saw was an arm opening the door and shoving her out. To the point, she was having trouble keeping up with her steps,” she claimed.

Despite the suggestion of witness confirmation, this claim the AP reporter was physically forced out of the building may be “overblown.”

According to Daily Caller reporter Jason Hopkins, who attended the event: “No one ‘forcibly’ grabbed her. She wasn’t on the list but felt she was too special for the rules and simply refused to leave, despite being asked numerous times to do so. After ten minutes of stonewalling, the police told her if she didn’t leave they would make her leave.”

The other questionable detail about what had unfolded at the EPA event had to do with who was allowed to be there.

According to CNN’s Marsh: “This is an event that was billed as open press, there was no mention about a need to rsvp. So open press usually means when the press shows up, they can be allowed to cover the event.”

But at the same time, they and AP have turned away because they didn’t have an invitation to the event.

And what Marsh put off mentioning, until she was reading the EPA’s statement on what happened with the reporters, there was a live video stream event available for everyone.

The Hill even noted that there was a reporter who had left the event to watch the live stream when they learned EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt wouldn’t be taking questions.

The EPA also suggested that the reason some were barred was that there was a seating issue.

“Yeah, it’s pretty outrageous indeed. And another reporter inside saying there were empty seats in that room,” Wolf huffed as he brought on CNN’s senior media reporter Brian Stelter to decry what happened and read the statements CNN and the AP put out.

“This is an agency that cries out for accountability coverage right now and we need to know what the heck is going on in Pruitt’s office, and with his deputies, and with his agency,” Stelter opined dramatically. “And instead, what we’re seeing is the door being closed, and in some cases literally.”

Even though the room Pruitt was speaking to was filled with reporters, Stelter seemed to describe how it was up to CNN to be the ones to hold the EPA accountable:

Let’s be honest Wolf, both of us know there’s always a push and pull between the news media and government. That’s the way it is. But government agencies have been pushing harder lately, much more aggressively closing the door, sometimes literally. Especially in response to reporters who are pursuing accountability stories, trying to hold the government accountable.

“It is pretty outrageous to think about it, somebody who’s been reporting on these kinds of issues for a long time. That this is happening right now it is awful and we’ll stay on top of this story certainly for our viewers,” Blitzer whined as they wrapped up the segment.

Yes, it’s the job of the press to hold the government accountable. But outlets like CNN have enormous egos and they depict themselves as the physical embodiment of the First Amendment.

There were other outlets there and no Q&A anyway. So CNN was basically complaining they couldn’t shout questions that wouldn’t be answered.

Read more at Newsbusters