Standup9ja - Trump Bars New York Times, CNN, Others From White House
Briefing
Several major U.S. media outlets including the New York
Times, CNN and Los Angeles Times were barred from attending Friday White House
briefing, indicating a worsening relationship between the media and the
controversial Trump administration.
Since he was sworn in on 20 January, Mr. Trump has been
attacking the US media, deriding them as purveyors of ‘fake news’, ‘dishonest
media’ and so on and had disputed several accounts published by the media.
Not trusting how they would treat his story, Mr. Trump last
week addressed a rally in Florida.
Just today, Mr. Trump in Twitter posts blasted the FBI for
not tracing the source of a leak of his administration’s links to Russia. The
story was published by CNN on Thursday.
According to a report by the Daily Beast, journalists
expressed outrage at today’s unusual move by the White House.
The Associated Press and Time magazine reportedly boycotted
the briefing as a result of the ban of NYT and CNN.
White House spokesman, Spicer reportedly allowed sympathetic
outlets into the gaggle—an informal question-and-answer session between a press
secretary and journalists—including the Washington Times, Breitbart, all
Republican and conservative organs and One America News Network.
Jeff Mason, the president of the White House Correspondents’
Association, said the consortium of reporters will “strongly protest” the move
and further discuss it with White House press staffers.
“This is an
unacceptable development by the Trump White House,” CNN said in a statement.
“Apparently this
is how they retaliate when you report facts they don’t like. We’ll keep
reporting regardless.”
Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times, issued
a similar statement:
“Nothing like this
has ever happened at the White House in our long history of covering multiple
administrations of different parties. We strongly protest the exclusion of The
New York Times and the other news organisations. Free media access to a
transparent government is obviously of crucial national interest.”
Earlier today, Mr. Trump said he was against the American
media.
In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference,
Mr. Trump said in spite of his criticism of certain U.S. media organisations,
he was not against the fourth estate of the realm.
“I’m not against
the press; I don’t mind bad stories if I deserve them and I tell you, I love
good stories, but we won’t. I don’t get too many of them.
“They are very
dishonest people; in fact, in covering my comments, the dishonest media did not
explain that I called the fake news the enemy of the people – the fake news.
“They dropped off
the word ‘fake’ and all of the sudden, the story became, the media is the
enemy; they take the word ‘fake’ out, and now I’m saying, oh, no, this is no
good. But that’s the way they are. So I’m not against the media.
“I want you all to
know that we are fighting the fake news. It’s fake – phony, fake.
“A few days ago, I
called the fake news ‘the enemy of the people’ – and they are. They are the
enemy of the people.
“Because they have
no sources, they just make them up when there are none. I saw one story
recently where they said nine people have confirmed. There are no nine people.
I don’t believe there was one or two people; nine people.
“And I said, give
me a break because I know the people who they talked to; there were no nine
people but they say nine people, and somebody reads it and they think, ‘oh,
nine people. They have nine sources’; they make up sources.”
The President claimed that he was only against the “fake
news media or press” adding, media should disclose their sources.
“I’m against the
people that make up stories and make up sources. They shouldn’t be allowed to
use sources unless they use somebody’s name; let their name be put out there.
“Let their name be
put out. A source says that Donald Trump is a horrible, horrible human being;
let them say it to my face. Let there be no more sources.”
Trump, however, said there are very honourable media men
writing very fair stories.
“There are some
great reporters around. They’re talented, they’re as honest as the day is long.
They’re great.
“But there are
some terrible, dishonest people, and they do a tremendous disservice to our
country and to our people; a tremendous disservice.
“They are very
dishonest people, and they shouldn’t use sources; they should put the name of
the person; you will see stories dry up like you’ve never seen before,” the
president said.
Mr. Trump, who said most U.S. media got his election polls
and subsequent polls since his inauguration wrongly, claimed that he “love the
First Amendment; nobody loves it better than me; nobody, I mean, who uses it
more than I do?”
“But the First
Amendment gives all of us – it gives it to me, it gives it to you, it gives all
Americans – the right to speak our minds freely; It gives you the right and me
the right to criticise fake news, and criticise it strongly”.
NAN
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