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Brian Williams dissed Mark Halperin’s Trump coverage. Big league. - The
Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/04/brian-williams-dissed-mark-halperins-trump-coverage-big-league/?wprss=rss_the-fix&tid=sm_tw_pp

Brian Williams dissed Mark Halperin’s Trump coverage. Big league.

Brian Williams might have learned his lesson from last year's suspension
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/nbc-suspends-brian-williams-as-its-lead-anchor-for-six-months/2015/02/10/bc6b79d0-b187-11e4-827f-93f454140e2b_story.html>,
but he sure didn't learn subtlety. The MSNBC anchor delivered the thinnest
of thinly-veiled insults to colleague Mark Halperin Thursday night on "11th
Hour,” the show Williams debuted in September.

“When Donald Trump complains that he is not getting favorable coverage in
the MSM,” Williams said to Halperin, referring to the mainstream media, “he
has not been listening to you this cycle. I think you've gone out of your
way to find the path, argue for the path, forge the path for him in an
argumentative way.”

If that was supposed to sound like a compliment, it sure didn't fool
Halperin, who was visibly offended.
[image: halperin]

Williams added that he thought Halperin had been “interestingly optimistic”
about Trump's chances to win the election on Thursday's episode of “With
All Due Respect,” the program Halperin hosts with John Heilemann.

Throughout the campaign, Halperin has been the subject of some teasing
<https://www.buzzfeed.com/kyleblaine/this-might-be-the-lamest-interview-with-donald-trump-so-far?utm_term=.oynJYnO1Y#.xo8qpWA9p>
by fellow journalists who think he is soft on Trump, especially in
interviews.

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This transcript of Mark Halperin’s Trump interview can’t be real…
pic.twitter.com/M4x4EkuW1f <https://t.co/M4x4EkuW1f>

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) October 26, 2016
<https://twitter.com/DylanByers/status/791418142132047876>

Halperin's interview with Trump last week was described in some quarters as
“sycophantic” (Mediaite
<http://www.mediaite.com/tv/mark-halperin-is-the-biggest-trump-lapdog-especially-when-he-keeps-saying-he-isnt/>),
“embarrassing” (Daily Beast
<http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/26/mark-halperin-tells-trump-what-he-wants-to-hear-in-embarrassing-interview.html>),
“truly pathetic” (Wonkette
<http://wonkette.com/607972/journalist-mark-halperin-has-worlds-most-adorable-crush-on-donald-trump>)
and “some of his fluffiest bull---- yet” (Salon
<http://www.salon.com/2016/10/27/bullshter-of-the-day-mark-halperin-for-his-backward-take-on-the-trump-campaigns-voter-suppression-strategy/>
).

The Hill's Joe Concha defended Halperin, writing that he “doesn't deserve
being 'Lauer'd.' "

It's all the rage in media today ...

Conduct an interview with Donald Trump and do anything short of throwing a
pie in the candidate's face before a swift verbal kneecapping, and you'll
be “Lauer'd” by your own brethren.

When we say “Lauer'd,” of course, we're talking Matt Lauer, who media
members thought was a bit too easy on Trump by asking him twice as many
questions than Hillary Clinton during a September town hall event.

Make no mistake: Halperin got “Lauer'd” by Williams on Thursday. He's used
to it from others, but the look on his face suggested that he didn't expect
it from a fellow host at NBC.


Eric D. Schwerin
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com

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