Sean Hannity, unofficial Trump adviser, wants you to know he 'never claimed to be a journalist'

Sean Hannity and Rience Preibus at CPAC 2016

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Sean Hannity has turned his prime time Fox News show into an unabashed platform to promote Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and he has also spent months offering his advice to Trump off-camera, to the point where "three separate denizens of the hall of mirrors that is Trump World told me they believed Mr. Hannity was behaving as if he wanted a role in a possible Trump administration," Jim Rutenberg writes in The New York Times. Hannity said that last part isn't true, but did not deny offering advice to Trump.

"Do I talk to my friend who I've known for years and speak my mind? I can't not speak my mind," Hannity told Rutenberg. "I don't say anything privately that I don't say publicly," he added, and "I'm not hiding the fact that I want Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States.... I never claimed to be a journalist." This lack of pretense, in fact, makes him "more honest" than reporters who hide their bias, Hannity said, and his dedicated viewers no doubt agree.

"I'm not a journalist" is also, incidentally, the line used by topical late-night comedians such as Jon Stewart and John Oliver, who, like Hannity, sit behind news anchor desks and talk about the news. On the other hand, Hannity's show is in a prime spot on a cable channel called Fox News, while The Daily Show is on at 11 p.m. on a network called Comedy Central. Also, the comedy shows rely on a crew of fact checkers. Hannity and the comedy news hosts do have one last thing in common, though: They will probably all feel some sort of letdown when the election is over. You can read more about Hannity and Trump at The New York Times.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.