Sean Spicer gets in a fight with reporters after failing to come up with a sturdy example of fake news

Sean Spicer.
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Michael McIntee)

"Fake news" was the straw that broke White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's back on Tuesday. During his first press briefing in 15 days, Spicer cited a retweet by incoming New York Times reporter Shane Goldmacher to illustrate an example of "fake news" to CNN's Jim Acosta.

"[Goldmacher] retweeted that the president was being booed by disrespecting the Italian prime minister," Spicer charged. "When in fact you all, in every one of the meetings that we sit in, watch the president with that one ear piece that has been used by other presidents. And yet the president did a great job at NATO."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.