Erik Wemple Slams National Media's 'Awful, Awful' Baltimore Coverage

Washington Post reporter Erik Wemple admonished the national media's efforts to report on the recent Baltimore protests in a conversation with HuffPost Live on Thursday.

"When the national media goes into a big city, just awful, awful coverage is more likely than not to ensue," he told host Ricky Camilleri. "And yes, people have no idea what they're doing."

Wemple sees no journalistic value in reporters like MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell turning to "Wire" cast members for testimony.

"Interviewing cast members of 'The Wire' -- it doesn't advance anything," he said. "Those people don't know Baltimore the way those folks who've lived through this do."

In contrast, the journalist was quick to praise the Baltimore Sun for its investigative piece on the tension surrounding citizens and the Baltimore police, published this past September.

"This is the arm of the Tribune Publishing Company that has been basically cut to shreds, yet it still managed to get this really important story out there that was ... sort of forward-looking, and provides some context for what we're seeing right now," he said.

Watch more from HuffPost Live's conversation about the media's controversial coverage of Baltimore.

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