Sen. John McCain said just after midnight Wednesday that the U.S. media is close to a being in a "frenzy," though he emphasized that he is "not complaining" about their persistence.
"I'm not a critic of the media," McCain said on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," before adding seemingly in jest, "I hate them."
He continued, "But they're always looking for a headline and that's their job. So you've got to be very careful exactly how you say it, and of course, not being a careful guy, I get in the news a lot of times and not exactly what I wanted to say.
"But look, nobody drafted me, nobody forces you to be a United States Senator. It has its moments, but we are in almost a media frenzy. I mean there are large numbers of reporters, cameras, microphones waiting as we go to vote."
McCain then reiterated that he did not intend his comments as a criticism of the media, noting, "But that's their job, I'm not complaining about it, that's their job. That's where the news is."
The senator and former presidential candidate also commented on Twitter, where he has 2.3 million followers and recently sparred with Russian state-run media branch Sputnik.
"Twitter world, you know, is just amazing," he said, according to Salon. "It used to be a 24-hour news cycle, then it was a 10. We are now in a 30-second news cycle. It is just amazing."
He added, "Honest to God we get a lot of things back," from people on Twitter. "Different ways for me to die, questions about my parenthood, 'why am I still alive?' Some really nice things."
When asked if it's wise to fight online trolls, McCain said "I think you need to. There's a thing about a charge not answered is one that's believed."
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