Outgoing NBC News analyst William Arkin called for “Trump-free days” of media coverage on Sunday during an appearance on CNN’s “Reliable Sources.”
Fresh off a scathing memo to NBC colleagues where Arkin warned of the “Trump Circus,” the longtime foreign policy analyst and Army veteran reiterated his belief on Sunday that the media has become so entranced by the day to day happenings at the White House, that they have become negligent to real issues facing the country. (RELATED: NBC News Veteran Warns About Cable News ‘Trump Circus’)
> @WArkin said on @ReliableSources that the US is “bombing nine countries around the world.” Off-air, we followed up. His list is of US military action in the Obama and Trump years: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Niger, and Mali https://t.co/hJaYQiRE3b
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 6, 2019
“We need to have Trump-free days,” Arkin told host Brian Stelter on CNN’s “Reliable Sources.” “Part of our responsibility as journalists is to cover the government, and not just the president.”
A frequent critic of American intervention, Arkin expressed frustration that so much of the media’s national security coverage is Trump-focused.
“The national security community itself has gotten stronger and has gained strength under Donald Trump,” Arkin said. “We need to have some courage to criticize the military and criticize the national security community.”
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