NPR

The 'Tillerson Is Tired' Meme And Things That Happen In A News Vacuum

The secretary of state didn't cut short his South Korea stay over the weekend, but an information vacuum meant a lot of people thought he did.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, upon arriving at the Osan Air Base in South Korea last week.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's inaugural trip to East Asia was marred by misunderstandings that arguably could have been avoided had Tillerson followed decades-old practice and spoken for himself — to the State Department press corps aboard his plane.

But there was no State Department press corps aboard his plane.

Tillerson had one reporter along — from a conservative-leaning news site who does not cover the State Department. In another break with tradition, the reporter did not offer a pool report

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