Why the press isn’t an American enemy

Read Time:4 Minute, 40 Second

by Paula Colon

**Asserting his right:** Jim Acosta questions President Trump on immigrant issues regarding Mexico. Acosta of CNN was stripped of his White House press pass after refusing several times return a microphone to a White House intern following his question; the situation caused controversy over the rights of the press and subsequently a lawsuit. *Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times*

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has continuously protected one of the most cherished American ideals: freedom. We often refer to this right in order to express our various emotions, insights, and opinions, but we nearly disregard the press and their First Amendment rights. The First Amendment protects, “freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The press relies on these freedoms to inform the public.

Abilio James “Jim” Acosta, CNN’s chief White House correspondent, attended a news conference held by President Donald Trump at the White House on Nov. 7. Acosta questioned Trump on his campaign-trail fearmongering regarding the migrant caravan travelling through Mexico toward the U.S. border. After addressing the question, the President sought to move on to another reporter, but the CNN correspondent would not give up the microphone to a White House intern after continuing to press on the immigrant issue.

Subsequently, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, announced that the administration had removed Acosta’s credentials, which allowed him access to the White House grounds. Sanders claimed that he had placed his hands threateningly on the White House intern who attempted to remove the Acosta’s microphone; however, video evidence proved that Acosta did not in fact place his hands on the intern.

CNN sued the Trump administration in an effort to reinstate Acosta’s press credentials. In a lawsuit filed in a federal district court, the network argued that the removal of Acosta’s White House press pass was a violation of his First Amendment rights to freely report on the government. Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the United States District Court in Washington, ruled that the White House had behaved inappropriately in stripping Acosta of his credentials. The White House released a memo arguing that “no journalist has a First Amendment right to enter the White House,” as well as highlighting Acosta’s disruption of the press proceedings.

This isn’t the first time Trump and the White House have had a tumultuous interaction with the media. The President has frequently emphasized “fake news,” and referred to media outlets such as The New York Times, CBS, CNN, NBC News, and ABC News, as an enemy of the American people. During press conferences, he has catalogued questions as “stupid.” Most recently, when choosing to answer a question by female journalist Cecilia Vega, he stated, “She’s shocked that I picked her.” Vega responded with, “No, I’m not; thank you Mr. President,” to which Trump replied, “I know you’re not thinking, you never do.”

Although to many the President’s outbursts may seem no more than immature tantrums, it is on the verge of becoming a constitutional obstacle every time he defies the media. As historically maintained by the First Amendment, the press has the freedom to report on national manners. The purpose of White House press conferences is to provide official information and statements directly from the executive branch. Correspondents and reporters have the right to ask questions without fear of retribution or exclusion, as enshrined in the First Amendment.

By depriving journalists of access to direct information from the White House administration based solely on a distaste or bias against the media, said administration is creating a barrier between the rights of the press at large and those of outlets that will continuously report in his favor. Evidently, the President has tended to show negative bias against predominantly left-wing media such as CNN and NBC, as opposed to predominantly conservative media such as Fox News, a frequent supporter of Trump’s presidency.

The President’s hostility towards the media is due to the reporting of allegedly inaccurate information by many outlets, which in turn hints towards his frequent mentions of “fake news.” A number of newspapers, tabloids, and blogs have been known to tamper with facts and truth to advocate for their position. President Trump and his controversies are often highly susceptible to scrutiny and criticism, especially from outlets anxious to promote their political leanings, so understandably his distaste of the media results from the demonizing tone many sources have adopted. We can trace the reasoning behind the frequent attacks towards the President to the inappropriate language and behavior he so often asserts. The media may choose what controversies and troubled behaviors they report, but what they don’t often change is an accurate account of what was said and done, much to the President’s dismay.

Trump’s judgements towards the press can many times be justified by the frequency of inaccurate reporting and lack of fact checking the public is so often exposed to, but the big idea is considering that in a sea of reports, articles, and blogs, only a few intend to spread false information and mislead the public. The majority of media outlets intend to relay facts, accurate findings, and hard-hitting news with the sole purpose of informing and educating America, no matter how it makes the subject look. This is a right and a duty guaranteed by our Constitution — indeed, by the first and most important amendment to it.