Jake Tapper is one of the leading personalities for CNN. Therefore, he has been one of the people most under fire by the hands of the new administration, who has admonished the cable news network as being "fake news." He had an opportunity to prove the value of the station on Tuesday afternoon, when he conducted an extensive interview with Kellyanne Conway on a range of issues.
A fake massacre
One of the most contentious exchanges between Tapper and Conway came in regards to the "Bowling Green Massacre," an event Donald Trump's aide recently referenced into existence, despite never actually occurring.
There were, in fact, terrorists who lived in Bowling Green for a time, but they did not commit any known massacres on United States soil. They did, however, commit violent attacks abroad, particularly in Iraq.
Tapper went after her on the issue, which Conway apologized for, admitting that she misspoke on the issue and claiming that she was trying to reference the terrorists, not a particular event that didn't actually occur. The CNN host kept hammering away at the issue, though, stating that she was making up facts -- a reference to the "alternative facts" comment she famously made.
Covering terrorism
The debate about the fake massacre led to an even lengthier debate about terrorism and how networks cover the topic.
Conway supported a list released by the White House that documented events related to global terror that the administration claims weren't covered by the mainstream media, a contention Tapper vehemently defended his network against.
When it came to the biggest accusation lobbied against CNN, however, Conway appeared to back down from a previous administration admonition.
Tapper asked Conway if his network should still be considered fake news; she responded by disagreeing with the sentiment before taking a broader shot at the media, claiming that some reports throughout the institution aren't properly researched or vetted.
The interview between Tapper and Conway lasted for nearly 25 minutes.
