An Oppressed Press

Monica Jones discusses the concept of freedom in America and questions how it is embodied, particularly in relation to the country's large prison population. She then focuses on the freedom of the press and highlights a tense interaction between CNN correspondent Jim Acosta and President Trump. Acosta's press credentials are later revoked by the White House, leading to backlash from the press and a court ruling reinstating his credentials. Jones emphasizes the importance of a free press and expresses concern about a government that seeks to avoid scrutiny and punish those who ask difficult questions. The hostility between the administration and the press remains a significant issue. Hello, my name is Monica Jones and this is a mini-podcast called An Oppressed Friend. I started thinking about this project as I've been seeing a lot of social media posts about having new American dreams to move to Europe. If your goal is to stay here and try to make this country a better place to live, you have to ask yourself, how do you do that? While working on our country, I started thinking about slaving the land of the free. Freedom is this instrumental aspect of the American identity. So, I looked up little sub-offices of freedom. The Google search returned captivity, incarceration, custody, imprisonment, enslavement. Then I thought about the irony that for the land of the free, we have the largest prison population in the world, even surpassing China's 1.6 million in prison. So, how do we embody freedom? How do we keep our democracy free? And it seems to me an inherent aspect is an informed public and a ferocious, passionate press. So, on that note, I wanted to make this project about the freedom of the press and the threat especially considering what the next four years may hold. In a segment of 2018 at a press conference with President Trump, CNN correspondent Jim Acosta said, I want to challenge you, Mr. President, on one of the statements you made on the tail end of the campaign in midterms. The President states, here we go. Acosta says, well, if you don't mind, Mr. President, that this caravan was an invasion. As you know, Mr. President, the caravan was not an invasion. It's a group of migrants moving up from Central America towards the border with the U.S. Why did you characterize it as such? Do you think you demonized the immigrants in this election to try to keep the tails off? Both Acosta and Trump are speaking over each other and interrupting one another. Neither can get a full sentence out before the other starts speaking. Trump responds that he wants immigrants to come illegally and that we need people because there's lots of companies coming. Trump's irritation and frustration at the question visibly builds. And the persistence in Acosta's question is irritating the President. Acosta says, they're hundreds and hundreds of miles away. That's not an invasion. Trump shuts down and says, that's enough. That's enough. This is a loose retelling. What appears to be a White House staff tries to take the microphone out of Acosta's hand. Acosta continues to hold the mic but does not lay a hand on anyone. The White House staff continues to try to reach for the mic. But Acosta presses on with his question. He says, on the Russia investigation, are you concerned with? Trump starts speaking over. I'm not concerned with anything with the Russia investigation because it's a hoax, he says. That's enough. Put the mic down. Mr. President, are you worried about indictments coming down, Acosta says. Finally, the mic's removed and there's a pause. President Trump paces for a moment and then comes back to the podium to say, CNN should be ashamed of itself to have you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn't be working for CNN. And he goes on. Another reporter has the mic down, comes to Acosta's defense, saying he's a diligent reporter who busts his butt on the campaign trail. Trump says he's not a fan of this reporter either. While no one can deny it was a weird, intense interaction, the hostility between the president and the press is palpable. You get the feeling that the sheer act of questioning the president is a threat to him. What follows the interaction is even stranger. Now, for some background information, to get credentials to the White House, there are different levels. And if you have direct, regular contact with the president, you likely have what's called a permanent or hard pass. And you've passed a background check and you've met the requirements to have access as a member of the press. Those credentials are incredibly important if you cover the White House. So following this kind of verbal scuffle and returning to the White House that evening for a meeting, Jim Acosta's hard pass credentials are taken by a Secret Service agent and revoked. The White House makes an announcement saying they're revoking his credentials and alleging that he put his hands on the intern or assistant that was trying to remove the microphone. Many members of the press decried this action. The hard pass is a security measure. It's not a form of punishment for journalists who ask difficult questions. Many agencies, Fox News, CBS News, and others, signed an amicus brief in support of CNN and Acosta. CNN came out in full support of Jim Acosta. We do not believe that revoking White House press credentials is an appropriate remedy for a disagreement the White House may have with a particular reporter. CBS News said that in their statement. We intend to file a front of the court brief in support of CNN's lawsuit to defend its constitutional rights. Many saw this action as a threat to democracy. There was a 1977 court ruling that said that administrations cannot bar correspondents from the briefing room without due process. And ultimately a court ruled, a judge ruled, that Acosta was not given a due process and the ability to respond to the White House. That judge reinstated Acosta's credentials and the White House made a release saying that they would follow those orders. However, it should not be lost how concerning it is to have a person in power that feels above questioning and scrutiny and professionally harms and punishes those who ask difficult questions. This is the job of a journalist, to ask those difficult questions. We are not a mechanism of propaganda or platitudes. I think that this was a impactful moment to see that the way that we operate under a administration that is hostile towards the press is even more important. It was ultimately a good thing that Acosta's credentials were reinstated in hopes that in the future the White House does not try to revoke credentials again for those who ask difficult questions. But the hostility between this administration and the press is very well known and will definitely be an issue going forward.