The Huffington Post is doubling down on its decision to banish coverage of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to its entertainment section, saying it is “more committed to the decision than ever.”
{mosads}Arianna Huffington’s online news outlet made news of its own last month when it declared that Trump stories were not worthy of a spot in its politics vertical, and will instead be henceforth residing in the entertainment section next to the latest exploits of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
“Our reason is simple: Trump’s campaign is a sideshow,” Huffington Post’s Washington Bureau Chief Ryan Grim and Editorial Director Danny Shea said in a post explaining the move.
When AdWeek’s TVNewser blog checked in with Grim and Shea a month later, the two doubled down on the decision with a bristling statement that charged “otherwise serious journalists” with “being seduced by Trump.”
We’re more committed to the decision than ever. Over the last month, we’ve seen our central argument proven right: that Trump is nothing more than a sideshow and not a legitimate presidential contender with serious policy ideas for moving the country forward. The GOP debate was fantastic reality TV, but it came across more like a twisted political version of “American Idol” than a presidential debate. And subsequent coverage reveals a collective media frenzy that’s embarrassing to credible media outlets – witness this weekend’s pandemonium around Trump’s helicopter at the Iowa State Fair. Otherwise serious journalists are being seduced by Trump because of his willingness to say and do outrageous things for headlines and ratings. We’re still not taking the bait.
Following last month’s announcement, Trump hit back at HuffPost, calling the site “a clown show” and a “glorified blog” that’s “pretending to be a legitimate news source.”
He has yet to respond to the latest remarks.