Jake Tapper Digs at MSNBC for Remote RNC Set: ‘We’re Live As Opposed to Some Other Networks’

CNN host Jake Tapper took a swipe at MSNBC’s controversial remote coverage of the Republican National Convention on Thursday.

After Tapper introduced Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to his CNN panel on Thursday evening in Milwaukee, Rubio remarked, “Thank you guys, and you’re actually here live.”

“We’re live as opposed to some other networks that just have a big LED, who shall remain nameless,” Tapper said.

Their remarks were a clear dig at MSNBC, which has largely covered the RNC from a remote set in Manhattan, New York.

While MSNBC did deploy some reporters to the convention floor, the network’s panel of hosts was not sent to Milwaukee and instead utilized a large background screen with footage of the audience at the RNC, giving the impression that they were live on location.

Several news outlets, including the New York Times and the New York Post , criticized MSNBC for making it look as if its hosts were at the convention this week and accused the network of misleading viewers.

In an article titled, “Is Maddow in Milwaukee? No, That’s an LED Screen on MSNBC,” New York Times reporter Michael M. Grynbaum wrote that “MSNBC’s decision to place its Manhattan-based anchors in front of a live feed of the convention floor created some odd, and arguably misleading, moments.”

Former CNN Washington bureau chief Frank Sesno also criticized the network’s decision, questioning, “If news organizations don’t represent where they are clearly, then how is the audience to have faith and confidence in the actual content of the reporting?”

A spokesperson for MSNBC rejected suggestions that the remote set was misleading to viewers, noting that despite the background of the RNC audience, “at the top of every broadcast, hosts identify themselves as being in New York or at MSNBC headquarters.”

Watch above via CNN.