USA Today's Heidi Przybyla: “Breitbart Is Essentially The Trump News Network”

Przybyla: Many Are “Accusing Breitbart Of Being Essentially Pravda, Like The Russian-Owned News Network”

From the August 21 edition of Fox News' Media Buzz:

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HOWARD KURTZ (HOST): By the way, we invited Breitbart to make a representative available for the show and the website declined. Heidi, so if Steve Bannon had been advising Trump sort of informally, and now he leaves Breitbart to become the campaign CEO, but he's on a leave of absence so he will probably go back to Breitbart, does that mean the site's credibility is taking a hit? I mean, what are people to think when they read Breitbart's coverage now with the former chairman running the Trump campaign? 

HEIDI PRZYBYLA: I think what's happening, Howie, is that his audience is basically seeing what the impression has been within the media industry all along, which is that Breitbart is essentially the “Trump News Network.” What's hurtful are also these stories coming out now saying that basically, you know, staffers are accusing Breitbart of even -- unproven allegations -- but, taking money for positive coverage, for Trump directly overruling editors. And, yeah, if that comes to a point now where that is not just the impression within the media community but also among Breitbart's audience, I think that that could be problematic for them. And, to me, the big irony here is that the founder of Breitbart, Andrew Breitbart, had such utter disdain for that type of cozy relationship between journalists and the politicians that they cover, for now many conservative commentators to now be accusing Breitbart of being essentially Pravda, like the Russian-owned news network. 

Previously:

186 Times Donald Trump Shared Breitbart News Articles On Social Media

The Conservatives Who Said That Trump’s New Campaign Chief Betrayed Breitbart's Memory By Backing Donald Trump

With Trump-Breitbart Alliance, The Right-Wing Media’s Civil War Just Got A Whole Lot Worse