Jake Tapper
Role at the time: CNN anchor and journalist
Challenged the characterization
Statement summary
Jake Tapper rejected the claim that prominent casualty coverage was intended to make President Donald Trump look bad.
“The news media covers fallen service members because they have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. It's a tribute. It's an honor.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Associated Press report on Jake Tapper's response to casualty-coverage criticism · Associated PressSection headed 'Reporting on casualties predates Trump's presidency'; paragraphs quoting Jake Tapper
Reporting on Hegseth's and Leavitt's criticism of news coverage of U.S. troop deaths. The article directly quotes Jake Tapper's response.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The statement challenges the characterization from the case's point of view because Tapper directly disputes the officials' account of the press's motive.