Although President Donald Trump's 77-minute Thursday press conference prompted observers to comment that "We elected a mess," "That would have been a really funny hour or so of television if he weren’t president of the United States," and "While you're watching the clown screw the pony, they're breaking into your car," one person who seemed to benefit from it was a reporter who the president praised for asking a "nice question."
It turns out that reporter was 19-year-old Kyle Mazza.
"It was surreal," Mazza told New York WPIX-TV. "It was a very interesting moment. I didn’t think he was going to call in me. I kept saying ‘Mr. President,’ but then I just came out with the question."
Mazza hails from Fair Lawn, N.J., where he started the Universal News Forever Network (UNF) when he was only 8 years old. He reportedly listened to police scanners and weather radios to gather news at that time, but has since then developed more sophisticated techniques for what is now his own website.
"UNF News is visible on WUNFnews.com. I also tweet, cover car accidents, I cover Mayor de Blasio, I go to 1 Police Plaza," Mazza told WPIX.
The site bills itself as being "News and information 24/7." On Monday, it published six articles — all about the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Last week, it published articles three articles: one about a missing person in New York, one on the iHeartRadio awards (again) and one about the ability to stream Prince music — on iHeartRadio. In fact, the entire month of February was pretty much devoted to iHeartRadio content; save for that post about a missing person and another about another New York radio station, everything centered around the communications company.
Since the site's inception in January 2016, it published 160 articles, including one that looked an awful lot like a post from NH Labor News.
Mazza will return to the White House Briefing Room this week to ask questions to press secretary Sean Spicer.
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