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Free press isn't free under White House's onerous rules (Editorial)
Muzzling the press is chapter one in the authoritarian ruler's playbook. By the Founders' design, the president of the United States is not a king or dictator. He doesn't control the media, or get to decide which reporters are assigned to cover him.
A free press isn't free if the government imposes rules on what reporters can ask and how they must ask it. That violates the First Amendment. Period.
Banning reporters from asking follow-up questions or challenging the president's statements, under threat of taking away their access to the White House, hobbles the watchdog function of the media. White House reporters will be looking over their shoulders, calibrating the consequences, every time they ask tough questions. Meanwhile, the president will be able to dodge accountability and lie to the American people with even more impunity.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Friday November 23 2018, @08:44PM (7 children)
Every president before Trump, including Obama and even Nixon, was much politer, and, I daresay, genuinely more respectful of the press. Trump is the outlier here.
Trump has shrugged off the murder of Khashoggi, and he tried to use blatantly doctored footage as reason to kick Acosta out. That we need a certain level of "decorum" and civilized behavior at a press briefing-- you know, no chucking your shoes at the President of the United States-- should go without saying. But somehow, the Trump administration thinks it needs to be said. Just another sad sign of how low this administration has dragged everything.
What's next, Trump brings a poodle to the press briefing and sends it forth to piddle on reporters' pant legs? Even Trump would never stoop that low? Or... would he?
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 23 2018, @09:20PM (5 children)
Two way street.
Muslim brotherhood propagandist.
Re-encoded != doctored
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 23 2018, @09:43PM (3 children)
Which codec were they using? Is that the same codec they used to remaster Star Wars so that Greedo shot first?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 23 2018, @10:08PM (2 children)
Haha, re-encoded with a codec problem. Bullshit jargon that might make a less knowledgeable person go "yaaa, it was a codec thing not a deliberate attempt at #fakenews! Damn liberals at it again!" Such a bad editing job too, I guess they realized actually modifying the footage would be pretty to spot with all the other news stations recording.
I mean really, defending fake news as an innocent mistake, or with accusations of fake news? Just astounding.
This is where we're at. Trump actually pushes doctored footage, true blue fake news, and yet the spin is still trying to sell it as "no law saying he has to take questions!" l o l i wish
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday November 23 2018, @10:49PM (1 child)
This is the new normal. And all the RWNJs on this site love it, though they haven't got the balls--it's ALWAYS balls--to say it.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 26 2018, @09:22PM
I saw a truck driving in front of me at night with some light swinging around underneath. I quickly realized someone made a lit up version of those truck balls and I then immediately thought that VLM and TMB must be road tripping.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Tuesday November 27 2018, @02:45AM
Correct:
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-ugly-terror-truth-about-jamal.html [blogspot.com]
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 24 2018, @06:29PM
the propagandist pieces of human shit that call themselves reporters and ask contrived, dishonest questions should be grateful i'm not the president. i'd be trying them for sedition.