Michael Cohen named Kathy Tur as one of Trump's closest reporters

Michael Cohen surpassed MSNBC's Kathy Tur as one of the reporters he had a close relationship with and nurtured Trump stories with.

Read: Kristi Noem Is Banned From 20% of South Dakota.

Court exchange during Cohen's cross-examination.

Cohen agrees that yes, if it were a “NYT-style” story, he would have advised Haberman.

Why did you record conversations with journalists? asks Blanche.

For the record, Cohen says: For later reference to craft answers. That simple.

— Tyler McBrien (@TylerMcBrien) May 16, 2024

Earlier in Cohen's testimony, Maggie Haberman was portrayed as Trump's puppet/stenographer, and according to Cohen, Cathy Tur was also someone he had a close relationship with.

Michael Cohen later explained that he wanted to have a close relationship with reporters because it would help him shape the coverage to be as supportive of Trump as possible.

What Cohen described in court was corporate media access journalism. Cohen would give meals and information to favored reporters in exchange for positive coverage of Trump.

In a recent interview, Nancy Pelosi called Toure an apologist for Trump.

Tur rose to prominence on MSNBC covering Trump's 2016 campaign, and Michael Cohen's testimony makes it seem like Nancy Pelosi was right.

Journalism should not be “quid pro quo”. Journalists must research and report information, but not establish relationships with sources that influence their coverage. Trading scoops or information for positive coverage is not journalism, but this practice explains why most of the corporate media still skews its coverage toward Donald Trump.

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Jason is the editor-in-chief. She is also the White House Press Center and Congressional Correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a BA in Political Science. Her graduate work focused on public policy, specializing in social reform movements.

Awards and professional memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association