Jake Tapper calls out CNN colleague for sloppy 'journalistic standard' — see why

CNN anchor Jake Tapper chided a colleague on Twitter Saturday for a sloppy "journalistic standard" concerning the controversial new book "Fire and Fury" by Michael Wolff.

What happened?

CNN host Brian Stelter, the lead media reporter at CNN, takes the position that despite having many factual errors, Americans should read "Fire and Fury" because the spirit of the book "rings true."

I stand corrected: I thought this RNC ad misquoted me, but the quote came from a @CNNI TV hit. So I've deleted my previous tweet about this. Big picture point: Wolff's errors are sloppy, but many Trump experts say the book "rings true" overall. My advice: Read it — skeptically https://t.co/VWXvjWpaYV

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 6, 2018

Stelter was responding to a new ad poster from the GOP that sought to discredit Wolff's book with review quotes from numerous media outlets.

The poster quoted Stelter as saying: "Real factual errors...makes you wonder about the overall content."

Stelter apparently didn't believe he said that. But, according to his tweet, he reviewed footage of himself discussing the book on CNN and discovered the GOP didn't misquote him.

Apparently, Stelter wanted his followers to know he believed the book should be read — albeit skeptically.

How did Tapper respond?

In a response to Stelter's tweet, Tapper said: "Having many errors but 'ringing true' is not a journalistic standard."

He later added the caveat:

That said, quotes are quotes. And if facts can be ascertained by further reporting as true, that’s also a service.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 6, 2018

What else has Stelter said?

The CNN host also defended the book on his network Saturday. Stelter said:

The book itself does hold up. And when you hear the White House trying to trash the book, we have to remember what a low standard they have for credibility and accuracy. This is a White House that gets the facts wrong on an almost daily basis.