Trump bans reporter for 'asking the wrong questions'

[Sparko]

She was a press pool reporter ostensibly asking questions all the networks she represented wanted answers to.

It's the job of the press to push on uncomfortable issues with those in government and in power. If the press stops doing that or is forcably muted, then our Freedoms are in danger. So you should have a problem with it.

Jim

That is pure drama queenery, Jim.

How is our freedom in danger? They did not mute her or stop her from writing whatever she wanted to write or even keep her news organization out. The government is under no obligation to give information to any specific reporter or any reporter. It is the reporter's job to get the information. It's not like the White House stopped giving press conferences altogether. Being in the white house press pool is a privilege. Not just any reporter can show up. If that were the case the press conferences would be so packed it would be ridiculous.

[Mountain Man]

She was a press pool reporter ostensibly asking questions all the networks she represented wanted answers to.

It's the job of the press to push on uncomfortable issues with those in government and in power. If the press stops doing that or is forcably muted, then our Freedoms are in danger. So you should have a problem with it.

Much ado about nothing. There's a time and a place for everything, and deliberately trying to embarrass the president in front of another world leader is never appropriate.

Just be thankful it wasn't Obama that she treated this way. He would have done a lot more than simply ban her from a subsequent press conference.

[Mountain Man]

Just to put things into perspective...

Source: Trump's war on press no match for Obama's

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertai...304-story.html

© Copyright Original Source

And from the reliably right-winger The Huffington Post:

Source: Obama�s Escalating War on Freedom of the Press

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/norma...b_3635370.html

© Copyright Original Source

So those of you clucking your tongues at Trump, where were you when Obama was literally threatening reporters with jail time for asking the "wrong" questions?

[rogue06]

Just to put things into perspective...

Source: Trump's war on press no match for Obama's

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertai...304-story.html

© Copyright Original Source

And from the reliably right-winger The Huffington Post:

Source: Obama�s Escalating War on Freedom of the Press

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/norma...b_3635370.html

© Copyright Original Source

So those of you clucking your tongues at Trump, where were you when Obama was literally threatening reporters with jail time for asking the "wrong" questions?

Source: WHY IT'LL BE HARD FOR TRUMP TO SURPASS OBAMA'S RECORD OF CHILLING PRESS FREEDOM

Many in the mainstream media are reacting with righteous indignation over comments from a senior Trump adviser suggesting the administration views the traditional media as an opponent. But if we're to take these apostles of press freedom seriously, they should first explain why the Trump Administration is worse than the Obama Administration.

After all, the Obama Administration literally tried imprisoning an uncooperative journalist, monitored journalists' every digital move, and "hammered" at least one challenging reporter with IRS audits.

Let's rewind the tape.

The Obama Administration began with lofty promises of being "the most transparent administration in history." Instead it ended up setting a record, by the Associated Press's count, for denying the most Freedom of Information Act requests.

As the administration's popularity began tumbling early into its first year, the Obama White House declared war on Fox News. The White House director of communications, Anita Dunn, warned they would henceforth treat Fox News "like an opponentthe administration sought to deny Fox News' participation in executive branch news-making events -- which only failed after other networks admirably refused to participate if Fox News were excluded.

As you'll see in the montage above, President Obama blamed Fox News and talk radio for virtually every problem his administration encountered, warning in his waning days that these "domestic propagandists" were far more damaging to America than any interference from hostile powers like Russia.

When Fox News's State Department correspondent, James Rosen, reported accurate information about North Korea leaked by a member of the Obama State Department, Eric Holder ordered his movements to be tracked, his phone records seized, and went "judge shoppingthe Washington Post wrotethe Freedom of the Press Foundation reported. After the Supreme Court rejected Risen's appeal of an earlier order mandating he testify about the source of information he reported, Risen faced jail time.

After an outcry, Holder finally backed down.

The Associated Press experienced similar surveillance. For two months, the Department of Justice tracked 20 AP reporters' calls, ostensibly over their reporting into a Libyan terrorist's failed plot. Why was reporting on a failed plot so threatening? The AP said it was because the administration wanted to announce the news itself.

Obama himself was notorious for granting interviews with journalists whom he knew would treat him gently -- like Steve Kroft. When Obama accidentally exposed himself to a mildly challenging interview with a local reporter in Saint Louis, that reporter was later "hammered" with IRS audits.

With the Obama Administration, the message to the media was always clear: Report negatively about us, and we'll use the powers at our disposal to make you suffer consequences.

If those journalists currently complaining about the Trump Administration found no such fault with the Obama Administration, perhaps it's because they were all too willing to toe the line.



Source

© Copyright Original Source

Now imagine if Trump started tracking a bunch of reporters phone calls, not because they were publishing classified information, but merely because they had published a story that Trump wanted to be the first to release. Or sicced the IRS after reporters who asked tough questions. The howls of outrage would be heard far and wide and those would be the lead stories for days on end as scowling left-wing pundits and politicians would be calling for impeachment.



And a couple pieces by the rabidly anti-Trump New York Times:

Source: If Donald Trump Targets Journalists, Thank Obama

labeled one journalist an unindicted co-conspirator in a criminal case for simply doing reporting and issued subpoenas to other reporters to try to force them to reveal their sources and testify in criminal cases.



Source

© Copyright Original Source

Source: Only Nixon Harmed a Free Press More

Source

© Copyright Original Source

[*Both stories continues at the above links*]

[Mountain Man]

I expect our resident liberals to trot in here at any moment and accuse us of "whataboutism", but that would falsely imply that what Trump did is anywhere near as troubling as Obama's borderline criminal -- if not actually criminal -- suppression of the free press.

[mikewhitney]

Maybe it wasn't the president ... but Congress tried to suppress the press in 1798
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-...es-federal-law

[oxmixmudd]

That is pure drama queenery, Jim.

How is our freedom in danger? They did not mute her or stop her from writing whatever she wanted to write or even keep her news organization out. The government is under no obligation to give information to any specific reporter or any reporter. It is the reporter's job to get the information. It's not like the White House stopped giving press conferences altogether. Being in the white house press pool is a privilege. Not just any reporter can show up. If that were the case the press conferences would be so packed it would be ridiculous.

Let's see. Reporter asks questions the demagogue doesn't like, the demagogue bans the reporter. Other reporters stop asking questions the demagogue doesn't like for fear they might get banned. The demagogue gains a bit of control over what the free press asks and learns.

It would be the presses job to police improper questions. The demagogue can always just ignore the questions he doesn't like.

When we start letting the government leaders tell the press what they can and can't ask in a press conference, we all lose. This is independent of party.

Jim

[oxmixmudd]

Much ado about nothing. There's a time and a place for everything, and deliberately trying to embarrass the president in front of another world leader is never appropriate.

Just be thankful it wasn't Obama that she treated this way. He would have done a lot more than simply ban her from a subsequent press conference.

It is mostly impossible to embarrass this president.

Jim

[One Bad Pig]

Maybe it wasn't the president ... but Congress tried to suppress the press in 1798
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-...es-federal-law

That was done at the instigation of the President, IIRC.

[oxmixmudd]

Just to put things into perspective...

Source: Trump's war on press no match for Obama's

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertai...304-story.html

© Copyright Original Source

And from the reliably right-winger The Huffington Post:

Source: Obama�s Escalating War on Freedom of the Press

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/norma...b_3635370.html

© Copyright Original Source

So those of you clucking your tongues at Trump, where were you when Obama was literally threatening reporters with jail time for asking the "wrong" questions?

Peacefully debating the age of the Earth in Nat Sci.

Jim

[One Bad Pig]

Let's see. Reporter asks questions the demagogue doesn't like, the demagogue bans the reporter. Other reporters stop asking questions the demagogue doesn't like for fear they might get banned. The demagogue gains a bit of control over what the free press asks and learns.

It would be the presses job to police improper questions. The demagogue can always just ignore the questions he doesn't like.

When we start letting the government leaders tell the press what they can and can't ask in a press conference, we all lose. This is independent of party.

Jim

I'd be a lot more on board with you if you could point to examples of you sounding the alarm during the previous administration.

[Mountain Man]

Let's see. Reporter asks questions the demagogue doesn't like, the demagogue bans the reporter. Other reporters stop asking questions the demagogue doesn't like for fear they might get banned. The demagogue gains a bit of control over what the free press asks and learns.

It would be the presses job to police improper questions. The demagogue can always just ignore the questions he doesn't like.

When we start letting the government leaders tell the press what they can and can't ask in a press conference, we all lose. This is independent of party.

Sparko is right, drama queenery at its best.

[One Bad Pig]

It is mostly impossible to embarrass this president.

Jim

But it IS possible to get under his skin.

[rogue06]

Let's see. Reporter asks questions the demagogue doesn't like, the demagogue bans the reporter. Other reporters stop asking questions the demagogue doesn't like for fear they might get banned. The demagogue gains a bit of control over what the free press asks and learns.

It would be the presses job to police improper questions. The demagogue can always just ignore the questions he doesn't like.

When we start letting the government leaders tell the press what they can and can't ask in a press conference, we all lose. This is independent of party.

Jim

Maybe you should look at how the press reacted when Neil Munro shouted out a question to Obama back in 2012 (they characterized him as being a racist for daring to do so) and how they are reacting now.

[oxmixmudd]

Maybe you should look at how the press reacted when Neil Munro shouted out a question to Obama back in 2012 (they characterized him as being a racist for daring to do so) and how they are reacting now.

Ok, so basically the plan appears to be that anytime Trump does something historically out of bounds you find some other instance in history where something similar happened and you say 'see, this has happened before so it's no big deal'

Since when did the fact something happened before in history make the fact it is happening now with Trump no big deal?

Yes, lots of bad things have happened before. Who in their right mind would think that makes Trump doing it ok?

Jim