CNN’s Kaitlan Collins omitted her work for then-Tucker Carlson-run website The Daily Caller when she discussed her “start” in White House reporting with Wolf Blitzer.
One of the better innovations of soon-to-be-defunct streamer CNN+ was The Interview Club, which allows viewers to submit questions to an upcoming guest — at least for another week.
Collins was a guest this week, with Blitzer moderating the curated questions. On behalf of a viewer named Peyton, Blitzer asked about Collins’ entry into White House reporting, and got an incomplete answer as Collins repeatedly credited CNN with her start on the beat:
MR. BLITZER: Here’s a question that we got from Peyton. How did you break into White House reporting at a young age? Did education, internships, et cetera help you?
MS. COLLINS: It’s a great question, Peyton, because I never thought I would be a White House reporter, it just wasn’t something I really thought that I could do, or if I thought, if eventually I did cover the White House, it would be decades into my career. And so that’s been one of the greatest things about working for CNN is getting the opportunity to cover the White House at such a young age and having that opportunity, and also making sure you take it really seriously, which I do. And I always liked politics. I did journalism and political science. I studied both when I was in school at the University of Alabama, and I loved journalism because I loved writing, I like asking questions, I like finding out more about what’s underneath the surface on a story. But I also really liked political science because you learn so much about the different political systems in different countries and how certain politicians approach it, and you see how it shapes how people live. And so I always thought that was interesting. And then those interests kind of collided when I moved to Washington. And covering the White House, especially during the Trump administration, felt so important to me because, you know, all eyes were really on the White House. Everyone, regardless of their politics, was watching to see what he was going to do when he took office as this incredibly unconventional candidate. And so I got into it at a young age, and when I first started covering the White House, I did feel a little bit, kind of this imposter syndrome, because you don’t think you are old enough or serious enough yet to cover such a big subject. But I think it really does show you that it’s important for people of all ages to cover the White House because people have different interests, people have different questions they want answered. And so I think it was a really big opportunity, and I’m really glad I got it.
MR. BLITZER: And a lot of our viewers, of course, got to know you during the Trump administration.
Ms. Collins did, indeed, distinguish herself at CNN early in the Trump administration with distinctly adversarial reporting, questions, and commentary. But that was not how she got her start at the White House.
News outlets are sometimes reluctant to name another outlet on the air, but neither Collins nor Blitzer attempted to inform viewers that Collins had, in fact, gotten her start on the beat at a different company.
Prior to joining the CNN White House team, Collins was a reporter for The Daily Caller, then run by founder Tucker Carlson, and was promoted to White House correspondent in January of 2017. As her CNN bio notes, “Collins joined CNN from The Daily Caller, where she served as the White House Correspondent covering the first few months of the Trump administration and the 2016 election.”
The bio also boasts “In 2018, 2019 and 2020, Collins was included in Mediaite’s list of the 50 Most Influential people in News Media.”
Watch above via CNN+.
The post Kaitlan Collins Omits Fact She Worked for Tucker Carlson’s Daily Caller in CNN+ Interview with Wolf Blitzer first appeared on Mediaite.
