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.
(Article continues below)
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.
