MARK TAPSCOTT: Memo To Politico: Where was CNN on Aug. 20, 2012?

What CNN wasn’t doing that day was reporting on the $50,000 the Department of Veterans Affairs spent for a “Patton” parody video for an employee “training” conference in Orlando.

It was Mark Flatten of the Washington Examiner who first reported that story. Your great, big wet kiss Wednesday for CNN entitled “Anatomy of a Veterans Affairs scandal” somehow missed that fact. . . .

Flatten’s “Patton” parody story was the first of more than 100 posts he’s done since August 2012 reporting — often exclusively, always thoroughly and accurately — the major problems wracking VA.

A search on CNN.com for “Patton parody video” turned up nothing. To be sure, CNN has done some excellent VA reporting from time to time in recent years.

On Facebook, Charles Glasser notes that this is a terrific example of an editor going to bat for a reporter when another publication denies them credit they deserve. That attitude is something I like about the Examiner.