JOURNALISM|MEDIA

Brianna Keilar is a Formidable Foe

For fantasists on both sides of the aisle

Brianna Keilar, courtesy CNN

Brianna Keilar is one of my favorite news anchors ever, largely due to her fearlessness when it comes to fact-checking guests’ hyperbole live on air, regardless of which side of center they call home.

Recently, Keilar refused to let slide comments from Stephen Moore, who served as senior economic advisor during Donald Trump’s first term. Moore appeared on CNN to support the president’s claim that the latest job report put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics was “rigged” against him.

Trump fired economist Erika McEntarfer, who headed the BLS for the last year, following the weak jobs report for July, showing that only 73,000 new jobs were created during the month, which was far below the projected 115,000.

Trump posted to Truth Social, claiming,

“Last weeks [sic] Job’s [sic] Report was RIGGED, just like the numbers prior to the Presidential Election were Rigged. That’s why, in both cases, there was massive, record setting revisions, in favor of the Radical Left Democrats.”

Moore, a former member of The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, agreed with Trump that the numbers were “just not accurate, and there are a lot of reasons for that, but they’re getting worse and worse in each passing month and each passing year.”

Moore supported Trump’s decision to fire McEntarfer, “not for political reasons, but just because I don’t think [the BLS is] doing a very good job.”

“These are probably the most closely watched numbers that come out each month as a barometer for how the economy is doing,” Moore continued. “We want accuracy, and right now, we’re not getting accuracy. These revisions are larger than they’ve ever been before, and that means we’re just not doing it very well.”

At which point, Keilar jumped in to set the record straight: “So, we should note that actually downward revisions have been, on average, smaller since 2003,” she told Moore. “You’ve noted before that survey responses have decreased, but the initial jobs reports have actually been more accurate than 2003. And I just want to note that what the president is saying — “

Keilar pressed on as Moore attempted to talk over her.

“Stephen, let’s just be clear what the president is saying here. It’s something different. You know revisions — Stephen, can we just get to the heart of this matter? Because revisions are not unusual.”

Moore went on to say that the BLS is collecting data the same way they did 75 years ago, “and they’re outdated, so we need a good statistician in there who can really improve the precision.”

He added, “It’s almost as if we have a blind man throwing darts at a dart board.”

“There are some new ways that they are collecting some data,” Keilar argued, reminding Moore that when he first heard of the July jobs report, he didn’t raise the issue “that there was a political nefariousness going on. You said, ‘This disappointing number is the result of all the turmoil over the tariffs.’”

Moore admitted that was true, then pivoted to claim, “Luckily in the past couple of months, Trump has put together some very pro-America trade deals, and I think you’re going to see a big spurt in employment as a result of that.”

But Keilar wasn’t through challenging Moore’s Trumpian loyalty.

“Is Trump, by having this off-with-their-heads in moment, in danger of getting people at BLS who actually just paint the roses red instead of telling us what the economy is doing?”

That question left Moore sputtering.

I don’t know how much the continued pushback was from Keilar’s own knowledge and notes, and how much was from a producer talking in her ear, but to me, that just doesn’t matter. The fact is, she didn’t let the right-wing spin just hang in the air, which makes her a hero in my book.

Watch the clip via CNN by following this link, and let me know what you think of Keilar’s line of questioning.

Here’s to a free press.