Anne Godlasky

USA TODAY

At President Trump's joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, he only took two questions from members of American media.

The first question went to The Christian Broadcasting Network, which states its mission "is to prepare the United States of America and the nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ"; the second to Townhall.com, a website whose mission is to "amplify" conservative voices — particularly conservative talk radio.

Neither outlet asked about reports of contact between the Trump camp and Russian intelligence agents or the recent resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Jim Acosta of CNN, which Trump has repeatedly labeled as "fake news," was not called on but asked a question about Russia, which Trump ignored.

Trump's selection of conservative media over mainstream news outlets is in line with the favoritism he has shown at previous press conferences, but a departure from past presidents. Typically, the wire service the Associated Press was called on first, followed by major news organizations.

While Press Secretary Sean Spicer has called on some mainstream news outlets — including USA TODAY, Reuters and ABC News — the New York Times and others have noted that he has also called much more frequently on right-leaning media, such as Breitbart, the Washington Times and The Daily Mail (which Wikipedia recently banned as a source).

Journalists have noted that such cherry-picking has allowed Trump and Spicer to avoid questions about difficult topics.