During the April 5 edition of CNN's Ballot Bowl, host Jim Acosta reported on an April 1 appearance by Sen. John McCain at his former high school -- Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia -- in which 16-year-old student Katelyn Halldorson asked McCain to clarify why he was visiting the school if not for political reasons. During his report, Acosta claimed that Halldorson “apparently ... started heckling the senator.” Additionally, Acosta twice referred to the high school junior as a “heckler.” In fact, as both The Wall Street Journal and the Politico noted, Halldorson's question came during a question-and-answer session. Indeed, according to a Federal News Service event transcript retrieved from the Nexis news database, McCain called on Halldorson during what the school's headmaster described at the time as a “question and answer session.”

From an April 1 Federal News Service transcript of the Episcopal High School event:

MR. [F. ROBERTSON] HERSHEY [Episcopal High School headmaster]: Senator McCain, your comments have special meaning to all of us here today. And before we begin the question and answer session which you've been so nice to offer, I wanted to introduce you to the students who are behind you. They're behind you in more ways than one; they're behind the entirety of Episcopal High School. The students here are those who've accepted leadership positions as monitors or as members of the honor committee and also students and faculty who participated in our mission trip to the Dominican Republic. So I just wanted to acknowledge them to you, and -- (applause). Senator McCain will now take some questions. [...] Q If you could -- sorry. If you could list five values that you took from Episcopal, what would they be? SEN. MCCAIN: The honor code, academic excellence, athletic excellence, friendship, and frankly, a clear -- a clearer definition of the goals that we set for ourselves in our lives. And there's a young lady right back behind you that also -- yes, ma'am? Q I think, judging by the amount of press representatives here and also by the integration of your previous political endorsements in your earlier personal narrative, we can see that this isn't completely absent -- political motivation isn't completely absent, yet we were told that this isn't a political event. So what exactly is your purpose in being here? Not that I don't appreciate the opportunity, but I'd just like some clarification. SEN. MCCAIN: I knew I should have cut this thing off. (Laughter.) This meeting is over. (Laughter.) This is an opportunity and part of a series of visits that I'm paying. We started in Mississippi, where my family's roots are back to the middle of the 19th century, to here. We're going from here to Pensacola, Florida, and to Jacksonville, Florida, and a couple of other places where -- we're going to Annapolis, where I obviously attended the Naval Academy. And it's sort of a tour where we try to not only emphasize the values and principles that guided me and, I think, a lot of this country in the past, but also portray a vision of how I think we need to address the challenges of the future. And a lot of that is in retrospect, but a lot of it is also advocacy and addressing certain challenges that face the nation. I hope that attendance here was not compulsory. If it was, then you -- I apologize for -- if you were -- if you were not -- unwillingly in attendance here. But I -- and also, very frankly, it's great to come back to -- as you heard me say in my prepared remarks, to a place that had such an impact and that I admire and respect so much. And with that, I would like to say thank you all, good luck, God bless you, and thanks again. (Applause.)

In an April 5 Wall Street Journal article, reporter Laura Meckler noted McCain's appearance at the high school and wrote: “In a question-and-answer session at his former high school, Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., junior Katelyn Halldorson said that students had been told the visit was 'not a political event' and yet, she said, it appeared obvious that it was. 'So what exactly is your purpose in being here?' she asked.” Similarly, Politico senior political writer Jonathan Martin wrote in an April 1 blog post: “After taking a range of routine questions about what he learned here, what he was most proud of, why Woodberry [Forest School in Orange, Virginia, Episcopal's athletic rival] hadn't produced any presidential nominees and who he liked in the Final Four, McCain took his final question from a young lady. Taking note of the many cameras present, this student said the event had been billed as non-political.”

On Ballot Bowl, Acosta said McCain “visited ... Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, where apparently a student there started heckling the senator, and John McCain then had to respond. So here's John McCain responding to what appears to be a student heckler earlier this week in Alexandria, Virginia.” After airing video of McCain's answer, Acosta stated: “So there you have it. John McCain, who is no stranger to incoming fire, able to handle that heckler there in Alexandria, Virginia.” By contrast, The Wall Street Journal reported that McCain “stammered through a reply but never fully answered her question.”

Media Matters for America previously noted that while CNN reported on McCain's April 1 event at Episcopal High School, it wasn't until two days later that any report on the network mentioned Halldorson's question to McCain, despite having extensively reported on students' questions to Chelsea Clinton about the Monica Lewinsky scandal. CNN aired a report on Halldorson's question during The Situation Room on April 3.

From the 2 p.m. ET hour of CNN's Ballot Bowl on April 5:

ACOSTA: But it was earlier this week in Alexandria, Virginia, where he visited a high school -- Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia -- where apparently a student there started heckling the senator, and John McCain then had to respond. So here's John McCain responding to what appears to be a student heckler earlier this week in Alexandria, Virginia. [begin video clip] HALLDORSON: We can see that this isn't completely absent a --political motivation isn't completely absent, yet we were told that this isn't a political event. So what exactly is your purpose in being here? Not that I don't appreciate the opportunity, but I'd just like some clarification. McCAIN: I knew I should have cut this thing off. This meeting is over. This is an opportunity and part of a series of visits that I'm playing -- paying, started in Mississippi, where my family's roots are, back to the middle of the 19th century to here. We're going from here to Pensacola, Florida, and to Jacksonville, Florida, and a couple other places. We're going to Annapolis, where I obviously attended the Naval Academy. And it's sort of a tour, where we try to not only emphasize the values and principles that guided me and, I think, a lot of this country in the past, but also portray a vision of how I think we need to address the challenges of the future. And a lot of that is in retrospect, but a lot of it is also advocacy and addressing certain challenges that face the nation. I hope that attendance here was not compulsory. [end video clip] ACOSTA: So there you have it. John McCain, who is no stranger to incoming fire, able to handle that heckler there in Alexandria, Virginia. That wraps up this first hour of Ballot Bowl here on CNN, but there's much more to come. Stay with us. This is Ballot Bowl on CNN.

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