Headline Roundup • February 4th, 2020
CNN Hosts Uninvited to State of the Union Lunch
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Featured Coverage of this Story
Mediaite
Each year, presidents invite broadcast and cable news anchors for an off-the-record lunch the afternoon of the State of the Union address.
This year, President Donald Trump excluded CNN from the lunch, the network reported Monday night. According to Brian Stelter, while Trump has maintained the traditional lunch and will host one this year — despite his campaign of performative animosity towards the media — the White House has not invited any anchors from CNN.
“This is the first time in recent memory that a president has singled out one...
The Hill
The White House has excluded CNN anchors from attending a private annual lunch it hosts on the day of the State of the Union, according to three unnamed sources in a network report.
Trump has often had a contentious relationship with the media and CNN in particular.
In the past, the president has referred to CNN as "fake news," and some of his rally attendees have chanted "CNN sucks" when Trump broaches the subject of the media.
Townhall
Brian Stelter, CNN's chief media correspondent, reported that the network had been disinvited from the White House's annual pre-State of the Union lunch with news anchors.
The dinner is considered off the record, but "it gives the anchors a sense of the president's state of mind before they anchor" State of the Union coverage.
"CNN's Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer attended last year's lunch. Blitzer has been attending these lunches longer than almost any other anchor — 20 years in a row," Stelter reported. "Journalists from other networks are still...
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