CNN is a liberal news organization that wants to watch America burn, and The Lead with Jake Tapper is part and parcel of that mission.
I don’t believe that. But lots of people who — I truly also don’t believe they mean it — say it somewhat frequently in conservative media circles.
Few cable news personalities outside of Rachel Maddow capture the ire of conservative media members like CNN host Jake Tapper. Is it warranted? I set out to find that out by watching a recent episode of his show.
The first thing that caught my eye about the program was something I don’t think I’ve ever really noticed before about a cable news host or anchor. And it’s that Jake Tapper is keenly aware that he’s on television. I recognize that that’s a “No s—, Sherlock” statement, but Tapper uses his facial expressions in a way few other hosts, if any, do.
I’m a sarcastic and skeptical person by nature. It’s clear in the way that Jake Tapper operates that he is in the same boat.
And I think skeptical is a good quality for a medium member to possess. I don’t think we should just take people — whether it be lawmakers, elected officials, or those in the news — at their word. Jake Tapper certainly doesn’t during his program.
Tapper featured conversations with members of both sides of the political aisle, which felt like an important thing to do in the wake of Vice President JD Vance’s comments in Europe and a report that the United States asked Ukraine to hand over half of its future mineral reserves. In a question to Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), Tapper shared details of a report from The Washington Post detailing that allegation. He concluded it by simply asking “Is that correct?” It’s a closed question, which is supposed to be a bad thing during an interview. But it is also — more importantly — as direct of a question as you can ask. “Is this true?” isn’t asked enough these days, in my opinion.
And you can see on his face that he is intently listening to the response from the Congressman. He nods at times when it makes sense to nod, he looks skeptical when it makes sense for him to look skeptical. And in his follow-up question, he gave the representative a chance to clarify: “So no one in the delegation gave (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) a paper to sign?”
It nails Turner to his answer. It is a yes or a no. And the Congressman said, “No, we did not.” That means someone is lying. It’s either the reporter from The Washington Post or a United States Congressman. That feels rather newsworthy, to me
Which, ultimately, is Tapper’s job. To hold people — anyone, really — to account. If a document someday presents itself, or we see footage of American government officials attempting to get the Ukrainian President to agree to this deal, Turner looks like a fool, a liar, and a flat-out scumbag. If no further evidence ever shows up, then Turner told the truth, and Tapper allowed a sitting U.S. Representative the chance to exonerate themselves.
So, while it might not be a popular way to operate, it appears to me as if Jake Tapper is in search of the truth. And in today’s incredibly partisan news media landscape, we could really use some more of that.
Now, is The Lead with Jake Tapper the chief anti-Trump show? In some aspects, yes. But that doesn’t instantaneously make it wrong. Believe it or not, and I know some MAGA media members will never believe it, not everything Donald Trump does it perfect and correct. The idea that Jake Tapper is some enemy of the state because he points out things that are obviously going poorly, or are obviously hypocritical doesn’t make him some “left-wing activist with a press pass,” as I’ve heard him described. It makes him a logical and rational human being.
Is there a liberal bias in his show? Sure. But I don’t see conservative media members complaining about a right-wing bias on Fox News. If you’re principled in your stances and thought processes, you don’t want any bias from any news outlet. But that’s not what gets ahead in the news media in 2025. So, Jake Tapper has picked a side. Just like so many dissenters. And if you take umbrage with that, I think taking a look in the mirror is as necessary as criticizing someone else.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
