Jake Tapper Claimed, Under Oath, That He "Doesn't Pay Attention to Nielsen Ratings."
This Claim Was Made WITHOUT EVIDENCE, and a Fact-Check Shows He's a Liar.

I mentioned this yesterday but I didn't say where he'd made this statement -- he claimed to not pay attention to ratings in his sworn deposition for the billion-dollar defamation trial. Plaintiff's council was trying to establish (I assume) that Jake Tapper was motivated to sensationalize and even fictionalize stories in order to raise his pathetically-low ratings, prompting Tapper to lie like the Devil and claim that couldn't possibly be a motivation, because he just don't care nothin' 'bout no Nielsen ratings.

A review of his, get this, Twitter history shows he pays a lot of attention to them.

"Mr. Tapper, can you give an overview of viewership numbers for your show 'The Lead?'" Young's attorney is heard off-camera asking in the recorded November 2024 exchange.

"I cannot," Tapper responded.

"You have no idea how many people watch 'The Lead' on an average basis?" the attorney followed.

"I do not pay attention to ratings," Tapper replied.

After attorney Vel Freedman asked Tapper to define what he meant by "ratings," Tapper responded by explaining how Nielsen ratings metrics are how shows, networks and advertisers "determine how many people are watching the show at any given moment."

"And I do not pay attention to the Nielsen ratings. So, yeah," Tapper added.

Fox News Digital has found more than a dozen examples of social media posts showing Tapper either touting his show's ratings or highlighting others, contradicting and undermining his own sworn testimony.

"Ratings go up and ratings go down, but UNITED STATES OF SCANDAL had the highest ratings in the key demo in cable news on Sunday ... and was the most watched show on CNN! Thank you so much for watching!" Tapper wrote on X about his CNN special in March 2024, roughly eight months before stating under oath he doesn't care about ratings. He also touted its ratings the month prior.

In fact, Tapper has repeatedly used the same "ratings go up and down" language in August 2018, April 2021 and February 2024.

In January 2015, Tapper shared a Washington Examiner article with the headline "CNN's Tapper on ratings win streak, jumps viewers 75%"

"Thank you so so much for watching #TheLead, folks! My team and I work hard and I'm humbled that you're watching," Tapper wrote in reaction to the article.

...

It's not only his own show's ratings he's monitored. He's put the spotlight on the viewership on a wide range of programs from the CNBC GOP primary debate in 2015, a speech then-President Trump gave in 2017, even "Sharknado 2."

In January 2017, Tapper took a swipe on-air at Trump for denying his "Apprentice" ratings decline.

...

Tapper shared a link to his on-air report on X, writing "What 'The Apprentice' and ratings can teach us about Trump."

Neither Tapper nor CNN responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

A question I have is whether this impeachment evidence will come in to show that Jake Tapper is a lying, perjurious worm. I don't know if he's scheduled to testify. Certainly if he does testify, this can be presented against him, whether or not he repeats the lie. (If he doesn't repeat the lie, the plaintiff lawyers will re-play his videotaped deposition and ask him about it.)

This Claim Was Made WITHOUT EVIDENCE, and a Fact-Check Shows He's a Liar.&bodytext=I mentioned this yesterday but I didn't say where he'd made this statement -- he claimed to not pay attention to ratings in his sworn deposition for the billion-dollar defamation trial. Plaintiff's council was trying to establish (I assume) that...&topic=world_news"> posted by Ace at 03:18 PM

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