This morning I watched Poppy Harlow show us all what real reporting looks like.  That’s important when you’ve almost forgotten what that looked like.  Yes, I know. What Ms. Harlow did should be considered ordinary.  Solid work but nothing special, you know?  Should be, but isn’t.  These days, real reporting is so rare, Harlow implicitly humiliates every major media’ reporter’ who can’t manage the same feat.  Yes, I’m looking at you, Chuck Todd, and Susan Page, and even you, Kristen Welker. Why do you all give up long before you get answers?

In September, Poppy Harlow was interviewing White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern.  For context, someone had slipped President Donald Trump’s tax returns to the New York Times.  We found out that President Trump paid a hefty $750 in US taxes for two years and zero money for several years before that.  Ugly.  On paper, Trump lost more money than any American individual in history.

So Harlow confronts press flack Morgenstern. What’s with the $750, when Trump is paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to other nations?  WTF?!?  OK, she doesn’t screech like me, but she asked what’s up.  When Morgenstern threw up nonsense, she interrupted and asked again.  Morgenstern counterattacked.  Harlow asked the original question.  Morgenstern attacked the press, and Harlow nailed him with a perfectly understandable “Don’t fuck with me!” response, and repeated her question: what about Trump’s federal taxes?  That behavior never should have been unusual, but I’m shocked to see real reporting in today’s climate.

I think I’m in love.  Play the link.  Please.

The only question is why she’s one of the few network reporters doing real reporting. Why did the other reporters decide that dodging and pointless distractions were OK?  Maybe I’m harsh, but besides Chris Wallace (once) and Savannah Guthrie (VP debate), none of our high-priced help managed to do their goddamn jobs.  Nathan and I might have written about this once or twice already.

Please, god, would reporters start doing real reporting?  There isn’t much point in asking a question if you then don’t care to get a real answer.  If you’re not in that business, please go home.  We don’t need you taking up space where a real reporter could be working.