The Trump Administration never ceases to amaze me. It could be the slowest news day in history and, almost on cue, the President will say or do something that triggers the media go absolutely berserk. Regardless of what takes place, no matter how mundane or absurd, it is the responsibility of the press to cover all sides of every story. There’s an old joke about liberals that if you have ten of them in a room, you’ll still have one-hundred opinions. It is for this reason that we have countless news outlets in our country, catering to every perspective possible, and moreover, why each of those outlets has the right to report the news the way they see fit.
Well, as has been the track record of the Trump presidency, yet another previously understood notion was flipped on its head when the White House announced last Wednesday that it was suspending the press pass of CNN’s Jim Acosta “until further notice.” Many believe the White House revoked Acosta’s “hard pass,” which gives him access to the White House grounds because he pressed the President with hard-hitting questions during a press conference following the US midterm elections.
Following the Trump Administration’s “you’ll get this after class” move, CNN released a statement fully in support of Acosta:
“The revocation of [Acosta’s] pass was done in retaliation for his challenging questions at today’s press conference. In an explanation, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders lied. She 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.”
–CNN statement regarding the revoking of Jim Acosta’s press pass
CNN not only fully supports Jim Acosta in this most recent press bout with the Trump Administration, but, as of Tuesday, the major news network officially filed a federal lawsuit against the Administration demanding the White House restore Acosta’s credentials. It does seem that President Trump is trying to silence the media by revoking the privileges of any news outlet that dare criticize his presidency. The same First Amendment rights to free speech that President Trump clung to when he called Sen. Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas” because of her alleged heritage will stand to be a key argument that the Administration’s removal of Acosta’s credentials is unconstitutional.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a less than cordial statement in response to CNN’s lawsuit:
“We have been advised that CNN has filed a complaint challenging the suspension of Jim Acosta’s hard pass. This is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against this lawsuit. CNN, who has nearly 50 additionally hard pass holders, and Mr. Acosta is no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter with respect to the First Amendment…”
–Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary
Trump’s actions, if left unchanged, could set a dangerous precedent for how our country’s government treats the media. Several political analysts have suggested that this could have happened to anyone, not just CNN, but the White House’s decision to punish Jim Acosta for having an opinion may lead to a skewed reporting and a potential reality where the same fake news President Trump despises is the only news we have. Honest, intentional journalism may fall to the wayside in fear of media outlets having their reporters lose their White House press credentials.
Jim Acosta and network executives from CNN have made it clear, through all of this, that they never wanted to pursue legal recourse, they simply “want to report the news” without feeling like they have to walk on eggshells with their lines of questioning for President Trump.
CNN firmly believes that “the content and viewpoint of CNN’s and Acosta’s reporting on the Trump Administration” is the real reason Acosta’s hard pass was revoked.
