... At 10:31 a.m. on Tuesday, President Donald Trump was addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The White House and other broadcasters were carrying his remarks live.
Trump TV, the new 24-hour YouTube stream dedicated to the president and his administration, was showing a recording of the National Prayer Breakfast from February.
The channel eventually aired Trump's U.N. speech shortly after midday, but the delay exposed an ambiguity at the heart of the White House's new venture: Is Trump TV a live channel, an archive or an around-the-clock presidential highlight reel?
After spending much of the day watching it, I found something less polished than its branding suggests.
The White House describes Trump TV: The Essentials Station as a place to watch the administration's "biggest moments," with "top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights" streaming continuously and "updated in real time." White House digital strategist Kaelan Dorr has called it a livestream of the administration's "greatest hits, unfiltered."
In practice, it functions more like a continuously shuffled White House playlist, mixing archived speeches, policy announcements, promotional films and appearances by administration officials.
There are no anchors, interviews or reporters examining the claims being made. Often, there was little on screen to tell viewers when an event happened or why it was selected. ...
