By Judi McLeod —— Bio and Archives February 8, 2018
Comments | Print This | Subscribe | Email Us
“A man wears a shirt reading "Rope. Tree. Journalist." Supporters were gathered to rally with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in a cargo hangar at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport in Minneapolis on November 6, 2016.
“Last month a man was arrested for calling the Atlanta offices of CNN and threatening to gun down its employees “in a matter of hours” and referred to the network as “fake news”—a frequent accusation leveled at the network by Trump. “Just before Christmas last year Trump retweeted a doctored image of himself with a blood-spattered CNN logo crushed beneath his shoe. He has also retweeted doctored images of himself body-slamming the network and of the “Trump Train” running it over.”Satire is owned outright by the Democrats and comedians like Kathy Griffin.
“In a private meeting with former FBI Director James Comey early last year, Trump reportedly told him to throw journalists in jail for reporting leaks. The president has also called reporters “the enemy of the American People” and “a stain on America.”( NewsWeek)Get the “reportedly” told Comey in a private meeting? It’s not just Trump intimidating and intentionally injuring reporters just trying to do their work, it’s his supporters:
“The president’s rhetoric has all too often turned into action by his supporters. Last year, Montana Republican Greg Gianforte was sentenced to community service after he pleaded guilty to assault after he was accused of body-slamming a reporter from The Guardian who was asking him questions. (NewsWeek) “Trump supporters at a Make America Great Again rally in California last March were accused of attacking reporters from the OC Weekly. A journalist for The Hill was assaulted last August at a Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump said there were some “very fine people” among the right-wing marchers and counter-protesters. “Last month Trump handed out a series of “fake news” awards to media outlets, including Newsweek, CNN, and The New York Times. “It’s not just about labeling reports of his constant falsehoods as #FakeNews—it’s his casting of media personalities and outlets as anti-American targets, and encouraging people to engage in violence,” said Swalwell, who pointed out that the president’s supporters are not the only ones who have attacked journalists.”
“A recent poll by Gallup shows that Americans—and especially Republicans—are increasingly losing faith in the media. (NewsWeek)That’s gotta’ be the MSM’s most dreaded fear of them all.
“Early this year, the Committee to Protect Journalists, a freedom of the press advocacy group, awarded Trump a prize for “undermining global press freedom.” The group said the president’s attacks on the press were not only being felt at home but around the world in authoritarian regimes.” (NewsWeek)If Kim Jong-un and Iran’s Ayatollahs claim Trump’s attacks on the media are spreading worldwide, it must be Gospel true.
“At least 44 reporters were physically attacked in the U.S. last year and angry rhetoric that demonizes reporters persists,” said Bernie Lunzer, president of The NewsGuild, a division of the Communications Workers of America. “The threatening atmosphere is palpable,” Lunzer said. “The Journalist Protection Act deserves the support of everyone who believes our democracy depends on a free and vibrant press.”Problem is the only “free and vibrant press” we have is the one that exists in the imagination of the Mainstream Media.
Copyright © Canada Free Press
RSS Feed for Judi McLeod
Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience in the print media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared on Rush Limbaugh, Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com.