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The Screaming Moderate

Trump puts American journalists at great risk

11/28/2017

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President Trump, whose job it is to protect Americans, has put American lives at huge risk.

It isn’t enough that he has yelled “fake news” and denounced reporters whenever he has a free moment. The other day he tweeted:

“@FoxNews is MUCH more important in the United States than CNN, but outside of the U.S., CNN International is still a major source of (Fake) news, and they represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly. The outside world does not see the truth from them!”
This puts the gunsights on journalists around the world."

It has never been the media’s role to “represent our Nation to the WORLD” well. Their role is to report the news. It is, though, the President's job to represent our nation to the world well. And he is failing in that responsibility.

I have always been in awe of journalists who cover wars, risking their lives so we know what’s going on. I’ve always admired journalists who literally risk their lives in countries that have no free press and where they can at any moment be attacked or arrested.

Now I am in awe of journalists who risk their lives and freedom and no longer can count on the President of the United States having their backs. And to be in fear.as despots around the world watch the President of the United States dub journalists “fake news” which is like waving a red cape at these dictators who can  feel freer to harass and possibly harm the journalists.

College basketball players arrested for shoplifting? Imagine American journalists being arrested because they are American journalists? And can the President be relied on to come to their aid?

The President of the United States isn’t content enough to be the President of the United States, with all the power and responsibility that goes with that job, but he still needs to punish those he perceives to be his enemies. He still needs to be petty.

It is beyond obnoxious and beyond politics. He is putting at risk the lives of American journalists overseas and their families.  And in my view therefore is violating his oath.

Trump’s supporters may get a kick out of him kicking his perceived enemies but he is endangering lives, threatening freedom of the press in this country and being a  petty, spoiled, little boy whose only aim is to punish anyone who dares to criticize or disagree with him or report on that criticism or disagreement.

He also is giving a green light to those countries who do not have a free press to continue to not have a free press. He gives up his moral authority as President.

I have no “therefore” to this piece other than to say I fear for those journalists who weren’t getting paid enough to risk their lives to cover war zones and now who risk their lives with no guarantee that their country will come to their aid.

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    B. Jay Cooper

    B. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office.
    He is the father of three daughters and grandfather of five boys and one girl. He lives in Marion, Mass.

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