Trump's live appearances pose a riddle that news executives still haven't solved

Even as Donald Trump seeks his third straight Republican presidential nomination, his live appearances still present an unsolved riddle for many news outlets: How do you cover him?

The question hung in the air as CNN, MSNBC and some streaming outlets started — then stopped — showing Trump's speech following Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. There was little hand-wringing at Fox News Channel and Newsmax, networks that appeal to Trump supporters. They carried the former president's remarks in full.

Outlets weigh whether an event's newsworthiness justifies live coverage when there's a risk Trump will make false statements that are difficult, if not impossible, to correct in real time — or go completely off script with something entirely unexpected.

And as a year of campaign and courtroom events loom, news executives will face similar decisions again and again.

WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA?

MSNBC pointedly opted out of carrying Trump after the Iowa caucuses a week ago, as Rachel Maddow said “there is a cost to us as a news organization of knowingly broadcasting untrue things.” But after New Hampshire, MSNBC starting showing him, Maddow noting Trump's Iowa speech had been mild-mannered by Trump standards.

Only minutes after he began, MSNBC cut out to correct Trump's misstatements about his past electoral performances and who could vote in New Hampshire.

“We'll try again,” Maddow said. It didn't last much longer. As Trump continued to speak, MSNBC spent part of its time on a live interview with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

CNN cut away after Trump began giving his microphone to others, with Jake Tapper reaching back to the 1970s to compare Vivek Ramaswamy to Drew “Bundini” Brown, former trainer and “hype man” for Muhammad Ali.