Journalist Punished for Asking Question to US President Donald Trump
Jim Acosta, an outspoken CNN reporter was punished by the Trump Administration for verbally attacking and asking questions on Central American migrant caravan to US President Donald Trump. His press credentials were suspended by The White House.
The White House has suspended the press credentials of a reporter Jim Acosta, few hours after he asked certain questions to US President Donald Trump during a live news conference making him furious against the reporter and take action. White house has later released an altered video to support their entry ban on the reporter.
Though the move to punish CNN reporter Jim Acosta by removing his access, which includes removing a credential known as a hard pass that enables journalists to enter the White House grounds, will be regarded as unprecedented. The Trump administration earlier has also barred another CNN reporter from attending an open media event in July.
During the news conference after the mid term results were declared, US President Donald Trump snapped at Acosta, when he asked why the president had called the Central American migrant caravan, an invasion and demonized immigrants. The question and answer session was soon followed by a lengthy and tense verbal back and forth between the reporter and the President. Trump at one point started to stray from his main conference and he called Acosta “a rude, terrible person”.
A female White House intern then tried to take the microphone from Acosta. Acosta held on to it and raised his arm to stop the aide from taking it. Press secretary Sarah Sanders has later cited Acosta’s confrontation with the press aide during Trump’s new conference as the reason for suspending his press pass.
In a statement announcing the disciplinary measure Press Secretary Sanders said, “President Trump believes in a free press and expects and welcomes tough questions of him and his administration. We will, however, never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern. This conduct is absolutely unacceptable. It is also completely disrespectful to the reporter's colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question”.
Acosta later responded to Sanders statement on twitter, with a simple declaration saying, “This is a lie”. CNN stood by its reporter, by releasing a statement, CNN said that Sanders “provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better. Jim Acosta has our full support”.
Jim Acosta has been most critical and one of the most outspoken reporters covering the US administration since Trump took office. The White House earlier has accused him of provoking confrontations and Acosta in turn, has become a most sought after target of insults by the supporters of Trump.
Acosta in an interview in 2017 has said, “I think I’m just covering a story, honestly. When the president of the United States calls the press fake news and the enemy of the American people, I think that’s when you have to get tough and ask the hard questions”.
