Anchorman and author Jake Tapper (CNN) joins us this week! We discuss his approach to challenging politicians on air (3:15), the danger of “both sides-ism” (5:55), the mental instability he’s come across in Washington (9:53) and why all politicians think of themselves as the “hero” of the story (14:52). With the release of his new book, The Devil May Dance, Tapper candidly reflects on the power dynamics between journalists and elected officials (16:22), CNN’s role in generating the Trump phenomenon (18:40), the mistakes made in the past four years (21:27), and why he believes the new media can (and will) “rise to the challenge” of better coverage in future elections (29:09). Then, before we go, we return to Tapper’s guiding journalistic principles (37:29), a passage from the late Walter Cronkite (40:30), and why he continues doing the work he’s doing (46:03). 

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