Jake Tapper, a Philadelphia native by way of New York, fell into the crosshairs of Breitbart News earlier this week after a heated interview with new White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
The CNN host was essentially cast as a purveyor of "fake news" who tried to play up a blue-collar background in Queen Village despite attending an expensive private school in Bryn Mawr. Tapper responded to the piece with a series of tweets that clarified his upbringing and reiterated his appreciation for Philadelphia. End of story, right?
Not for Sean Hannity. On Monday night, the Fox News host ran a segment on his show calling for viewers to criticize prominent broadcasters who have been associated with the Trump administration's catch-all "fake news" retort.
"You can call out fake news right at the source," Hannity said. "For example, you can tell fake news Jake Tapper exactly what you think of his interview with Anthony Scaramucci. You can do it on Twitter."
The appeal isn't going over so well for Hannity, who quickly found himself the target of most people who decided to participate in the exercise.
It might be nice to assume this game was driven by actual political differences, but there is a back story that appears to have motivated Hannity.
Last week, Tapper reported for CNN that Hannity would no longer be receiving the conservative Media Research Center's William F. Buckley Award for Media Excellence in September. Christopher Buckley, son of the late conservative icon, reportedly protested Hannity's selection and demanded that he not be honored in his father's name. To save face for Hannity, the MRC floated the excuse that a scheduling conflict would prevent him from attending the event.
One year after Hannity showed thin skin in an argument with a Bernie Sanders supporter at Wawa, it seems safe to say some things never change.