White House chides media: ‘You have a responsibility to tell the truth’

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders boiled over with frustration at the press during Oct 5's news briefing, telling CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta that “you have a responsibility to tell the truth.” Acosta, who has been a persistent critic of the administration, asked Sanders whether President Donald Trump believes the First Amendment protecting free speech and press rights is as important as the Second Amendment, which enshrines protections for gun owners. "Absolutely,” Sanders said. “The president is an incredible advocate of the First Amendment. With the First amendment ... with those freedoms also come responsibilities. You have a responsibility to tell the truth. To be accurate.”

Earlier in the day, President Trump tweeted that the Senate Intelligence Committee should investigate “Fake News Networks” to see “why so much of our news is just made up.” Sanders was pressed on whether the president believes the committee should investigate American media organizations. “I don’t know that that’s the case,” she responded. “But I do think that we should call on all media to a higher standard. I think you have a lot of responsibility, and a lot of times false narratives create a bad environment, certainly aren't helpful to the American people, and you have a responsibility to provide and report fair and accurate details. When we don't, that's I think troubling for all of us.”