Reporter defends screw-up on Trump's Iraq visit; You see, no one had any info when they went to print

As Twitchy reported, President Trump and Melania Trump made a surprise Christmas-night visit to the troops in Iraq, right around the same time outlets like MSNBC and NBC were running headlines about how Trump was the first president not to pay a Christmas visit to a war zone since 2002.

QZ has updated its story, and reporter Heather Timmons explains what happened: see, the trip had been kept secret from the media, so they apparently had no choice but to run stories about how Trump was just sitting in the Oval Office “watching TV.”

Donald Trump has been avoiding war zones for 50 years https://t.co/sQZmycDVNm via @qz From a favor to #FredTrump to the latest Oval Office address, @realDonaldTrump has shrunk from military combat

— Heather Timmons (@HeathaT) December 26, 2018

This was published 2 hours ago, right about the time @realDonaldTrump was landing in Iraq. Great work, @qz. #Caring https://t.co/O8MYDbQeRP

— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) December 26, 2018

Derek, no one had any info about this trip until hours after our story was published. Not the Daily Caller, not QZ, no one. Good to see him finally visiting troops, though! Happy Holidays!

— Heather Timmons (@HeathaT) December 26, 2018

OK, so the reporters didn’t have any information about the trip before they published hit pieces on Trump avoiding the troops at Christmas.

This is what happens when you jump on the narrative train. It's not news, it was never news, it was straight up narrative and it rolled right over a lot of people who saw an opportunity to snark and took it. https://t.co/55dC4Di2Az

— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) December 26, 2018

Perhaps waiting for the actual "Christmastime" to be over before writing about what happened during "Christmastime" would be a responsible journalistic approach. Just a thought with all of the credibility issues the press has dogging them these days.

— Bill, just Bill (@WLFanning) December 26, 2018

Your job — your only job — is to acquire *info*.

Your job is not to do story hour reflecting pre-packaged, manufactured attitudes that the journo hive-mind all chant in concert, to reflect your worldview.

If you want to have an industry and a job in 20 years you'll report.

— Radical Radials (@EchelonRight) December 26, 2018

Did Heather ask? No. Journalists don't even try anymore.

— Denise (@deniseschrupp) December 26, 2018

You didn't "have any info about this trip" because it never occurred to you to pick up the phone and call the WH and say "Hey, does the POTUS have any intention to visit the troops this year for Christmas?" THEN if they'd sandbagged you, you've got a case.

— PreviouslyKnownAsSomeoneElse (@DryHumorDryBeef) December 26, 2018

That's called being a reporter. This female reads blogs and tweets and talks to her friends who do the same. Like Ben Rhodes noted, they know nothing and aren't bothering to learn. Their funeral. Average income in that business must decline $10K per year; don't add value.

— Radical Radials (@EchelonRight) December 26, 2018

This is the reason we do not trust the media. Merry Christmas?

— Kayleen ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@kayleencaulfiel) December 26, 2018

The point is that the mainstream/leftist media just couldn’t wait to come down hard on Trump…couldn’t wait to see if their negative narrative would prove true or not.

— Norvell Rose (@NorvR) December 26, 2018

Let's see if this is a "teachable moment" where maybe you wait until the thing you want to write about actually happens before writing about it.

— AshSolesFromTheFire (@ashsoles) December 26, 2018

Narrative. News is all narrative. It would be ok if you all would learn from it, but you haven’t in 3 years. Smh

— Steph (@steph93065) December 26, 2018

Steph 93065 I think you might be a bot, but if not, what does "news is all narrative: even mean? In English?

— Heather Timmons (@HeathaT) December 26, 2018

Would someone like to explain to this reporter what a “narrative” is? We can think of plenty of examples recently. If it helps, the narrative is the story you want your audience to come away with, whether or not the facts back it up.

wow…I guess now it's an excuse to print something that is false if you just "didn't know it wasn't"…

— Matt Blatchley ?? (@mblatchley777) December 26, 2018

Breathless MSM can’t wait to dunk on Trump so bad that they get it wrong more often than not. #journalism

— Jack Dash (@dash_rice) December 26, 2018

Don’t you feel stupid

— Irish Santa (@bctswg) December 26, 2018

Great reporting. It is so unfair how no one trusts the press. It really is all Trump’s fault.

— chrisoindy (@chrisoindy) December 26, 2018

YOU ARE FAKE NEWS

— JusticeJames (@justiceborrian) December 26, 2018

Lol to infinity. Blaming the White House for keeping this under wraps. Good lord, your job is to uncover facts, not take sides.

— Jack Dash (@dash_rice) December 26, 2018

So we can trust your reporting from the White House will be unbiased? You are a real piece of work lady and deserve the title of fake news reporter.

— Troy L Combs (@troycombs6) December 26, 2018

Don’t worry; you can always correct the story later if enough people call you out on it.

YES, we've updated with Trump's surprise #Iraq trip. In our defense, White House kept that under wraps, and no one reported it until Sanders' tweet, hours after QZ's story was published. Here's the latest: https://t.co/I4lxqzdRev

— Heather Timmons (@HeathaT) December 26, 2018

“In our defense, White House kept that under wraps,” so we just assumed he wasn’t making a visit a went from there. Great defense.

Related:

'Good job, everyone'! Donald Trump's Iraq visit just cracked a yuge egg on media's faces [screenshots] https://t.co/FAGB30aaFp

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 26, 2018