Chris Wallace 'horrified' by CNN's Acosta's conduct: 'It's not our job to one-up presidents'

Chris WallaceChristopher (Chris) WallaceMcConnell seeks to end feud with Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Biden meets with bipartisan lawmakers for infrastructure negotiations Biden to meet Monday with bipartisan lawmakers about infrastructure MORE ripped Jim AcostaJames (Jim) AcostaHarry Reid reacts to Boehner book excerpt: 'We didn't mince words' Fauci touts vaccinations: 'This is not going to last forever' Biden's first presser wasn't about him — not really MORE over a heated exchange the CNN chief White House correspondent had with President TrumpDonald TrumpBiden to move ahead with billion UAE weapons sale approved by Trump Fox News hires high-profile defense team in Dominion defamation lawsuit Associate indicted in Gaetz scandal cooperating with DOJ: report MORE during a press conference in India on Tuesday, saying Acosta made a "huge mistake" that "adds to the people questioning the credibility of the media."

"I was horrified by [Acosta]," Wallace said at a Columbia University event in New York City hosted by the Common Ground Committee on Tuesday night. "It’s not our job to get in fights with presidents. It’s not our job to one-up presidents. It’s our job to report on presidents."

"But to the degree we have responded to his attacks on us with attacks or advocacy in kind, there’s a huge mistake, and I think adds to people questioning the credibility of the media," the "Fox News Sunday" host said.

Acosta told Trump during a press conference in New Delhi that CNN's "record on delivering the truth is a lot better" than his "sometimes" after the president broached the topic of a recent report on Russia's election interference that CNN later walked back.

"I worry that the president’s attacks have given too many straight news reporters — not talking about the opinion page or prime time — an excuse or license to cross the line themselves and become players on the field, and I think that is a huge mistake," Wallace said. "It’s not our role. Our role is to be observers, umpires, fact-checkers, investigators — it’s not to be advocates. It’s not to be opponents."

Wallace was appearing with New York Times reporter Maggie HabermanMaggie Lindsy HabermanThe Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by ExxonMobil - Pence sets the stage for 2024 Trump frustrated with pace of super PAC Media stumbles: Its bias shows in covering Biden v. Trump MORE, also a CNN contributor, who said she agreed with Wallace on the media's role.