Not just CNN, but just about every news network, it just happened to be the first link. Would you rather have the NBC link, or ABC, or Huff Post, or Daily Mail, or The Telegraph?

I haven't bothered to check, but if this is the case they're all as bad as each other. This is a Democrat politician giving details to the media of a private conversation between a President and a bereaved family. How can people be OK with this?

Here's the Fox link, if you're interested. For balance.

Maybe to show him up for what he really is? I'm tired of people making excuses for him and deflecting it to his critics.

It was on speakerphone, so hardly private.

You beat me to it.

This isn't a case of deflecting to his critics, it's a case fair reporting. If the family in question weren't offended by what he said then there is no story here. They're the only one's who can pass judgement. Paraphrasing from an opposition politician is shoddy news.

It could well be that the family didn't like what he said, however they should be the ones to come forward. Now with this media storm, I'm sure we'll be seeing them on Oprah within days talking of their pain and after a week or two everything will be forgotten and they'll be flung on the slag heap as Trump's opponents will have gotten their pound of political flesh out of them.

A. Bollocks, this phone call was for the family and this politician just happened to be in the car with them and B. Being offended on someone else's behalf is not a news story. The family are still the only ones who should can comment on this.

A politician just happened to be in the car with them? There's got to be more to the story.

Erm, that is pretty much the definition of "deflection"; you'd rather focus on his critics and opponents, rather than on what the man himself does or says.
He didn't acknowledge their deaths until 12 days after the event, then proceeded to lie about what his predecessors did or didn't do. The guy is a joke and only the blindest of his supporters fail, or refuse, to recognize that.

Yes, she was joining them on the way to pick up his casket from the airport. This is perfectly normal.

The family is from Miami, Jackson is the representative from Florida. I see nothing untoward or unusual.

So there's plenty of ammunition to go after him already without need for this. It isn't deflection, it's a call for balanced reporting. Is it any wonder Trump's campaign against Fake News has gained so much traction?

The President of the United States has a call with a bereaved family of a serviceman. It's not an uncommon thing to report into the general media, and never has been. The fact that Trump is such a gonk about it is just par for the course.

Presidents before him have telephoned, written to, and met in person other bereaved families. Nobody made a song and dance about it being reported before.

Reporting is not done on a "need for" basis, it's done because it happens. If a story appears on multiple news sources, covering the entire political spectrum, then how can you claim it is "unbalanced"?

That it's appeared on multiple news sources still doesn't make it right. The need for revenue and clicks means that this is more often the case. It's unbalanced in that neither two parties involved in the conversation have given comment however the aim of the story is clearly to tarnish Trump. Unfair would probably be a better word than unbalanced.

For the record, I think the man is a despicable human being but I can't condemn him for this; we don't have the context of the call.

The quote I see is "he knew what he signed up for but when it happens, it hurts anyway." which seems reasonable enough. Several news sources are just reporting the "he knew what he signed up for" part which is selective reporting.

"Unfair reporting"? He's president, he knew what he signed up for.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said Tuesday he stood for the First Amendment and would not revoke licenses based on news material produced.

Source

Good for Ajit Pai, not being intimidated by his boss.

Meanwhile back to Puerto Rico
"Floating hospital sits empty near Puerto Rico"
There's a hospital ship waiting for sick Puerto Ricans -- but no one knows how to get on it

Source

They are wasting it all, arent't they, prematurely - while obsessing over their own genius. It only gets him the type of visibility and support they might not wish for, the only type he cannot buy. They help to deliver it while losing any credit they had left, wasting people's patience and lust for drama on a blown up stuff.

Perhaps the family can do without being belittled, especially at a time like this. Don't you think?