Summary: On Ballot Bowl, Jim Acosta reported on an appearance by Sen.
John McCain at his former high school in Virginia in which a student asked
McCain to clarify why he was visiting the school if not for political
reasons. Acosta claimed that the student "apparently ... started
heckling the senator" and twice referred to her as a "heckler."
In fact, the question came during a question-and-answer session, and,
according to a transcript of the event, McCain called on the student.
During the April 5 edition of CNN's Ballot Bowl, host Jim Acosta reported
on an April 1 appearance by Sen. John McCain at his former high school
-- Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia -- in which 16-year-old
student Katelyn Halldorson asked McCain to clarify why he was visiting
the school if not for political reasons. During his report, Acosta claimed
that Halldorson "apparently ... started heckling the senator."
Additionally, Acosta twice referred to the high school junior as a "heckler."
In fact, as both The Wall Street Journal and the Politico noted, Halldorson's
question came during a question-and-answer session. Indeed, according
to a Federal News Service event transcript retrieved from the Nexis news
database, McCain called on Halldorson during what the school's headmaster
described at the time as a "question and answer session."
From an April 1 Federal News Service transcript of the Episcopal High
School event:
MR. [F. ROBERTSON] HERSHEY [Episcopal High School headmaster]: Senator
McCain, your comments have special meaning to all of us here today.
And before we begin the question and answer session which you've been
so nice to offer, I wanted to introduce you to the students who are
behind you. They're behind you in more ways than one; they're behind
the entirety of Episcopal High School. The students here are those who've
accepted leadership positions as monitors or as members of the honor
committee and also students and faculty who participated in our mission
trip to the Dominican Republic. So I just wanted to acknowledge them
to you, and -- (applause).
Senator McCain will now take some questions.
[...]
Q If you could -- sorry. If you could list five values that you took
from Episcopal, what would they be?
SEN. MCCAIN: The honor code, academic excellence, athletic excellence,
friendship, and frankly, a clear -- a clearer definition of the goals
that we set for ourselves in our lives.
And there's a young lady right back behind you that also -- yes, ma'am?
Q I think, judging by the amount of press representatives here and
also by the integration of your previous political endorsements in your
earlier personal narrative, we can see that this isn't completely absent
-- political motivation isn't completely absent, yet we were told that
this isn't a political event. So what exactly is your purpose in being
here? Not that I don't appreciate the opportunity, but I'd just like
some clarification.
SEN. MCCAIN: I knew I should have cut this thing off. (Laughter.) This
meeting is over. (Laughter.)
This is an opportunity and part of a series of visits that I'm paying.
We started in Mississippi, where my family's roots are back to the middle
of the 19th century, to here. We're going from here to Pensacola, Florida,
and to Jacksonville, Florida, and a couple of other places where --
we're going to Annapolis, where I obviously attended the Naval Academy.
And it's sort of a tour where we try to not only emphasize the values
and principles that guided me and, I think, a lot of this country in
the past, but also portray a vision of how I think we need to address
the challenges of the future. And a lot of that is in retrospect, but
a lot of it is also advocacy and addressing certain challenges that
face the nation.
I hope that attendance here was not compulsory. If it was, then you
-- I apologize for -- if you were -- if you were not -- unwillingly
in attendance here. But I -- and also, very frankly, it's great to come
back to -- as you heard me say in my prepared remarks, to a place that
had such an impact and that I admire and respect so much.
And with that, I would like to say thank you all, good luck, God bless
you, and thanks again. (Applause.)
In an April 5 Wall Street Journal article, reporter Laura Meckler noted
McCain's appearance at the high school and wrote: "In a question-and-answer
session at his former high school, Episcopal High School in Alexandria,
Va., junior Katelyn Halldorson said that students had been told the visit
was 'not a political event' and yet, she said, it appeared obvious that
it was. 'So what exactly is your purpose in being here?' she asked."
Similarly, Politico senior political writer Jonathan Martin wrote in an
April 1 blog post: "After taking a range of routine questions about
what he learned here, what he was most proud of, why Woodberry [Forest
School in Orange, Virginia, Episcopal's athletic rival] hadn't produced
any presidential nominees and who he liked in the Final Four, McCain took
his final question from a young lady. Taking note of the many cameras
present, this student said the event had been billed as non-political."
On Ballot Bowl, Acosta said McCain "visited ... Episcopal High School
in Alexandria, Virginia, where apparently a student there started heckling
the senator, and John McCain then had to respond. So here's John McCain
responding to what appears to be a student heckler earlier this week in
Alexandria, Virginia." After airing video of McCain's answer, Acosta
stated: "So there you have it. John McCain, who is no stranger to
incoming fire, able to handle that heckler there in Alexandria, Virginia."
By contrast, The Wall Street Journal reported that McCain "stammered
through a reply but never fully answered her question."
Media Matters for America previously noted that while CNN reported on
McCain's April 1 event at Episcopal High School, it wasn't until two days
later that any report on the network mentioned Halldorson's question to
McCain, despite having extensively reported on students' questions to
Chelsea Clinton about the Monica Lewinsky scandal. CNN aired a report
on Halldorson's question during The Situation Room on April 3.
From the 2 p.m. ET hour of CNN's Ballot Bowl on April 5:
ACOSTA: But it was earlier this week in Alexandria, Virginia, where
he visited a high school -- Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia
-- where apparently a student there started heckling the senator, and
John McCain then had to respond. So here's John McCain responding to
what appears to be a student heckler earlier this week in Alexandria,
Virginia.
[begin video clip]
HALLDORSON: We can see that this isn't completely absent a --political
motivation isn't completely absent, yet we were told that this isn't
a political event. So what exactly is your purpose in being here? Not
that I don't appreciate the opportunity, but I'd just like some clarification.
McCAIN: I knew I should have cut this thing off. This meeting is over.
This is an opportunity and part of a series of visits that I'm playing
-- paying, started in Mississippi, where my family's roots are, back
to the middle of the 19th century to here. We're going from here to
Pensacola, Florida, and to Jacksonville, Florida, and a couple other
places. We're going to Annapolis, where I obviously attended the Naval
Academy. And it's sort of a tour, where we try to not only emphasize
the values and principles that guided me and, I think, a lot of this
country in the past, but also portray a vision of how I think we need
to address the challenges of the future. And a lot of that is in retrospect,
but a lot of it is also advocacy and addressing certain challenges that
face the nation.
I hope that attendance here was not compulsory.
[end video clip]
ACOSTA: So there you have it. John McCain, who is no stranger to incoming
fire, able to handle that heckler there in Alexandria, Virginia. That
wraps up this first hour of Ballot Bowl here on CNN, but there's much
more to come. Stay with us. This is Ballot Bowl on CNN.
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