“Ben, to me this is a shockingly casual way to ask for comment for such a serious story,” Stelter said. “Do you think that was an appropriate and sufficient way to ask for comment?”

Smith conceded that the Washington Post reported that Carr claimed he would have given more information had he been asked differently. The top BuzzFeed editor insisted that the news outlet was genuinely “reaching out to get information.”

“But come on, one paragraph?” Stelter exclaimed. “That’s a dereliction of duty to send a three sentence email!”