Should the White House Revoke More Press Credentials?

What’s the story?

• President Donald Trump told reporters Friday that he hasn’t decided whether to return CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s White House press credentials, and that there “could be others also” who may have their press passes revoked if they don’t show more “respect.”

“I haven’t made that decision, but it could be others also... I don’t think [Acosta] is a smart person but he’s got a loud voice... The same thing with April Ryan. I mean, you talk about somebody who’s a loser. She doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing. She gets publicity and then she gets a pay raise.”

• The president and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders are being criticized for revoking Acosta’s credentials, and falsely claiming that the CNN reporter had “put his hands on” a female White House intern. Sanders shared an allegedly doctored video of the heated exchange, which contains no audio and plays a slow-motion version of the incident. (In the raw footage, Acosta can be heard saying, “Pardon me, ma’am,” after the contact.)

What is CNN saying?

• CNN said in a statement that the “President’s ongoing attacks on the press have gone too far.”

“They are not only dangerous, they are disturbingly un-American. While President Trump has made it clear he does not respect free press, he has a worn obligation to protect it. A free press is vital to democracy, and we stand behind Jim Acosta and his fellow journalist.”

Trump and the media

• Trump has repeatedly called the press “fake news” and the “enemy of the people.” In a recent interview with Axios, the president said his supporters demand this kind of red-hot rhetoric.  
• Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs was body-slammed by Republican Congressional candidate Greg Gianforte last year. Trump, at a midterm rally for Gianforte, said that "any guy that can do a body slam, he is my type!"
• In May, the president said, "No politician in history - and I say this with great surety - has been treated worse or more unfairly."
• Also in May, Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy released a study of the media coverage of Trump during his first 100 days at the White House.

“The study found,” the Chicago Tribune reported, “that in Trump's first 100 days in office, the tone of the news coverage of the president has been a whopping 80 percent negative to 20 percent positive.”

• Recently, protestors surrounded the home of Fox News host Tucker Carlson, chanting “We know where you sleep at night!”

What do you think?

Is Trump treated unfairly by the media?  Or, as some have argued, is it because "no politician in history" has been quite like Donald Trump? When should the White House revoke credentials? Do you agree with them revoking Acosta’s? Take action above, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman