THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRUMP AND THE PRESS AND WHY FREEDOM OF SPEECH MATTERS
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON LEVEL21 IN 2018
The tension between Trump & The Media has escalated in the last week. The Trump administration has a troubling and sometimes nasty relationship with the press. The President's post-2018 midterms press conference is an excellent example, but its fallout has perhaps been even more weighty. For instance, Jim Acosta was banned from the White House indefinitely after getting into an argument with Trump at a Wednesday press conference.
After CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta lost his press pass last week, CNN sued President Donald Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and four other aides. CNN stated, "CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration this morning in DC District Court," the statement read. "It demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN's Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta's First Amendment rights of freedom of the press and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process. Accordingly, we have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim and will seek permanent relief as part of this process."
According to CNN, Acosta has been completely barred from attending White House events or asking White House officials in person. However, the White House press corps and the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) stood by Acosta and called for his press pass to be reinstated.
The White House has been under fire for revoking Jim Acosta of CNN's press pass, and Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted the reasoning for the video Press. However, experts say the video was altered to exaggerate his actions during the Press Conference.
White House News Photographers Association President Whitney Shefte also denounced the White House for sharing the video. "As visual journalists, we know that manipulating images is manipulating truth," Shefte said. "It's deceptive, dangerous, and unethical. However, knowingly sharing manipulated images is equally problematic, particularly when the person sharing them represents our country's highest office with vast influence over public opinion."
This began when Trump verbally attacked CNN reporter Jim Acosta during the Wednesday press conference after Acosta asked why Trump looks at the migrant caravan as an invasion. The individuals in the migrant caravan plan to go through the proper channels to seek asylum. However, Trump has been fear-mongering about them before the midterms. The PresidentPresident repeatedly tried to keep Acosta from speaking, and Acosta continued his attempt with a question. In CNN's video of the interaction between Acosta and the intern who tried to take his microphone, he briefly — and accidentally — brushed her arm before apologizing.
As Mashable pointed out, Trump's attacks on Acosta, Phillip, and Ryan follow a pattern of similar attacks on reporters of color — especially black female reporters while sending a clear message: If you challenge him or try to hold him accountable, he will retaliate. Trump also went after PBS News Hour's Yamiche Alcindor, calling her question about white nationalists "racist."
After the White House opted to revoke Jim Acosta's press credentials last week, President Trump has received a barrage of criticism. A dozen news organizations, including FOX News, have publicly backed CNN's lawsuit.
Acosta and Trump have had a tense relationship for months
Acosta's suspension from White House press briefings is not the first instance with the Trump administration. In February 2017, then-Press Secretary Sean Spicer barred journalists from a briefing from the New York Times, BuzzFeed News, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, BBC, and The Huffington Post.
On November sixteenth, a federal judge temporarily restored CNN reporter Jim Acosta's White House press pass. District Judge Timothy Kelly — appointed by President Trump in September 2017 — granted CNN's request for a court order restoring Acosta's press pass while its lawsuit against Trump and the White House proceeds.
