If there’s one journalist whom the Media Research Center sees as a threat to President Trump, it’s CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta. It seems that every time Acosta appears on TV, the MRC has a post designed to denigrate and belittle him for failing to be a Trump sycophant.
For instance, a July 1 post by Nicholas Fondacaro rants about Acosta’s alleged “out of control shouting, grandstanding, and childish antics,” insisting at he was “acting all self-righteous” and “indignantly proclaimed” his need to ask questions of the president. That kind of biased, negative language to describe Acosta is a key part of what the MRC does to delegitimize Acosta for doing his job.
The MRC also cheers every time Acosta is attacked in other forums: For instance, Scott Whitlock gleefully transcribed White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ insult to Acosta that “I know it’s hard for you to understand even short sentences,” and Curtis Houck happily reported how a crowd at a pro-Trump rally heckled “carnival barker” Acosta.
We’ve gone through the MRC archives to see what other belittling language the MRC has hurled at Acosta in the first half of 2018 alone:
- “With so many possible selections, it’s hard to come up with a worst-of list to rank the most pathetic attempts by CNN’s Jim Acosta to pose as an oh-so-tough reporter.” — Tom Blumer, June 29
- “carnival barker … he fancied himself the most honest, righteous man in America.” — Curtis Houck, June 25
- “There’s no news in any of Acosta’s comments. These days, he appears on CNN to attack Republicans and opine on issues.” — Scott Whitlock, May 30
- “Acosta’s fragile ego has been wounded before, with the aggrieved correspondent taking to social media to whine about not being called on.” — Kyle Drennen, May 17
- “Sanders called out Acosta’s arrogance. … He then continued to play the victim.” — Curtis Houck, April 25
- “When one thinks of liberal reporters who relish showing off at White House press briefings, three individuals who come to mind are CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta and CNN political analysts Brian Karem and April Ryan. … the petulant Acosta.” — Curtis Houck, April 23
- “CNN’s infamously incomparable White House correspondent Jim Acosta.” — Curtis Houck, April 11
- “CNN’s perpetually aggrieved Jim Acosta. … As usual, Acosta is wrong.”– Tom Blumer, April 3
- “Acosta is ‘abused,’ he’s not the abuser. He’s ‘reporting,’ not editorializing. That’s bad enough. But [The Daily Beast’s Lloyd] Grove began with the Fakest of News — Acosta claiming that his showboating routine is oh-so-uncomfortable for him to uncork. … People have gotten weary of Acosta, who also acts like a reality-TV star, the diva who everyone roots against.” — Tim Graham, March 12
- CNN’s Jim Acosta threw a hissy fit following yet another White House press briefing where he wasn’t called on to ask a question. … [Sean Spicer said on ‘Hannity’ that Jim Acosta is a carnival barker in the pressroom that is both clueless and classless.” — Nicholas Fondacaro, March 6
- “As we’ve learned since the beginning of the 2016 election, CNN’s Jim Acosta has emerged as perhaps the most melodramatic and self-centered liberal journalists to ever grace the airwaves. … As this writer reminded Acosta on Twitter, he’s once again shown that he’s not able to realize that the world doesn’t revolve around him.” — Curtis Houck, March 5 (under the headline “What A Bitter, Sad Man”)
- “Then came the Acosta Lecture, which really should have had some pompous-sounding music underneath it.” — Tim Graham, Feb. 7
- “CNN’s Jim Acosta took a break to whinge about the President’s brief jab at the press during the event. … After that whine fest, Acosta went on to give Obama credit for Trump’s economic growth.” — Kristine Marsh, Jan. 26
- “CNN’s Jim Acosta has had a rough four days. It’s hard not to take some pleasure in that situation, given the Chief White House Correspondent’s habitual rudeness and petulance with President Trump, and with his representatives during White House press briefings. … If there was a Guinness World Record for most self-important, self-absorbed, unaccomplished reporter in Washington, Jim Acosta would be its holder, hands-down.” — Tom Blumer, Jan. 22
- “Acosta debased his already self-centered act by playing the role of sycophant on Friday morning for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) by tangling with Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney over basic facts about Senate procedure. … CNN hack.” — Curtis Houck, Jan. 19
- “As if their biased outbursts on CNN weren’t enough, chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta and political analyst April Ryan got the chance to unleash more of their rage at President Trump … Acosta answered first, automatically going to the most extreme … We’ve seen this behavior before from Acosta.” — Kristine Marsh, Jan. 18
- “In the third White House press briefing since his promotion to CNN Chief White House Correspondent, Jim Acosta was promptly burned on Thursday by Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in regards to CNN’s ratings in response to Acosta’s question about what appeared to be contradictory Trump tweets about the FISA program. … A smirk went across Acosta’s face before gathering himself up to reply … Acosta was apoplectic afterward on CNN Newsroom.” — Curtis Houck, Jan. 11
Houck — apparently the MRC’s designated Acosta-hater — also ended 2017 with a post compiling what he claimed were “the Top Ten Jaw-Dropping Jim Acosta Meltdowns from 2017,” adding: “In 2017, CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta gave viewers free doctorates in how to become showboaters and throw hissy fits.
This is all on top of Houck mocking Acosta for demanding that people like Houck quote him in context — which Houck did in the most derisive way only after being shamed into it.