Journalists’ body warns Trump’s crackdown threatens press freedom

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an international New York-based press-freedom organisation, has warned that the Trump administration’s restrictions on the media are emboldening authoritarian governments around the world.

Speaking to the SABC News as South Africa marks Black Wednesday, CPJ’s Americas director, José Zamora, accused Washington of making independent reporting more dangerous and costly through restrictions on access, legal pressure and immigration measures targeting journalists.

Zamora says the consequences extend beyond newsrooms, weakening the public’s ability to expose abuses and hold those in power accountable.

Since President Trump’s first term in office, he’s had a tempestuous relationship with the press.

In September, after the White House sought to bar certain U.S. media from its grounds , this was an exchange in the Oval Office.

“Are you trying to intimidate the press from doing their job,” asks Sherwin Bryce-Pease.

“No no no no.

I dislike dishonest press, like you.

I think you’re terrible but I dislike dishonest, I like to see honest press,” replies Trump.

Or this response from President Trump, when a journalist challenged him on the war in Iran; “I had total military victory, but the fake news, guys like you, write incorrectly.

You’re a fake guy, guys like you write about it incorrectly.

We had a total military victory,” says Trump.

Or here hinting that they might bar legacy publications from the White House as well.

“The New York Times is fake news, the Washington Post is fake news, they’re crummy papers… we haven’t taken the step of throwing them out.