Acosta's Bad Behavior Spawns New Rules for White House Decorum
Just days ago, we witnessed one of the most ugly and egregious bits of journalistic behavior to ever disgrace the White House from CNN’s Jim Acosta.
Acosta, who has staked the future of his career on annoying the President into flying off the handle, recently found himself in a scuffle with a young, female White House intern who was following the Commander in Chief’s orders to remove a microphone from the CNN mainstay. Â The look on her face says it all.
https://youtu.be/9dnqfa_CG94
Clearly, the strength that Acosta used to accost this young lady spooked her, as you can tell by her reaction. Â She even looks to President Trump for help.
Now, after this incident, the White House has been forced to tighten the rules for reporters to avoid an escalation of behavior from here.
1. A journalist called upon to ask a question will ask a single question and then will yield the floor to other journalists;
2. At the discretion of the President or other White House official taking questions, a follow-up question or questions may be permitted; and where a follow up has been allowed and asked, the questioner will then yield the floor;
Advertisement - story continues below3. “Yielding the floor” includes, when applicable, physically surrendering the microphone to White House staff for use by the next questioner;
4. Failure to abide by any of rules (1)-(3) may result in suspension or revocation of the journalist’s hard pass.
Of course, these were already the unwritten rules of the White House press corps, much like an egregious bat flip after a home run might get you plunked with a pitch the next time you’re up to bat.
Acosta, like the child who needs attention at someone else’s party, has forced us to spell it all out for him.