CNN’s never-ending Trump bash-a-thon continued at the weekend with Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour complaining that the President’s treatment of the press is ‘dangerous’ and allows authoritarians to ‘beat up against’ the media.
Appearing on Brian Stelter’s Reliable Sources to discuss Trump citing a study last week indicating 90 percent negative media coverage against him, Amanpour went to great lengths to impress that she has been complaining since the very start of the Trump administration.
“I have been talking about this ever since the President was elected, even before he was inaugurated, I made a big speech at the Committee to Protect Journalism in November of 2016, warning American journalists that there was now a grave and existential threat to their work,” she declared.
“Hopefully, because the United States has a constitutionally protected journalism, and a constitutionally protected press, by the First Amendment, that the press will keep its spine and refuse to bend over to these kinds of threats,” Amanpour exclaimed, referring to Trump’s tongue in cheek indication that he may work to remove credentials from reporters.
The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018
“If they do, I expect the press to fight back, in no uncertain term. Or, to gather forces outside and continue to be able to report in a very, very strong, unbiased, facts, not fiction kind of way for as long as it takes.” Amanpour added.
Unbiased? Facts not fiction? This is CNN, the network that hides in bushes and spies on Trump playing golf in order to try to get some dirt on the President while airing 24 hour broadcasts dedicated to calling him a racist dictator and a Russian colluder.
Amanpour then claimed that Trump is encouraging authoritarians and dictators all over the globe to crack down on the media.
“I mean, look, we have, for instance, in London, this weekend, the president of Turkey, a U.S. Ally. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is coming here. This is one of the key abusers of the press in his own country. I mean, taking them to court, you know, putting them in prison. I mean, just the worst,” she stated.
“So when the president of the United States of America, you know, says these kinds of things, other leaders are empowered, whether they’re quasi-democratic, authoritarian, dictatorial, they’re all empowered to beat up against the press. And that’s really dangerous around the world.” Amanpour added.
The correspondent then suggested that its a good thing that Trump has prompted a “huge rise in necessary activism,” among the press as well as the public.
“You know, everybody was getting a little lazy, everyone was taking everything for granted, particularly in the United … The press have come out,” she boasted. “Everybody is coming out to defend their profession and their right to exist under the constitution and the laws of the United States.”
In response, some noted that the indication here is that under Obama, this ‘activism’ was viewed as unnecessary, and that Amanpour is admitting that Trump has exposed partisan hacks for what they are:
Where Christiane Amanpour just flat out admits Trump has emboldened "journalists" to become partisan activists. And Stelter apparently is just fine with it.
But "facts first," right @CNN? @redsteeze https://t.co/3L5NJU8e2h
— David Henry (@imau2fan) May 13, 2018
Activism: unnecessary from 2009-2017. https://t.co/nm6dmV6zlE
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) May 13, 2018
We're "objective" as we praise "necessary activism"? https://t.co/DXcyHRnlZI
— NewsBusters (@newsbusters) May 13, 2018
At least CNN isn’t even trying to hide their bias. https://t.co/WpfIjWjEfN
— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) May 13, 2018
Another is the way so called journalists admit they always had an agenda. https://t.co/L3sPdzEjDn
— NeoKong (@The_NeoKong) May 13, 2018
The diversity of opinion on your panel is notably consistent. pic.twitter.com/KBmEQJ88LE
— 100 Proof (@ChampionCapua) May 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/bgamron/status/995725532280053760
Stop pretending to be journalists
— bobaloolink (@bobaloo_1) May 13, 2018
— Jeremy (@The_Smirker) May 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/GmiaGbar/status/995756287177699328
The backlash to Trump is what will truly end up making America great.
— Michael G. Stone (@M_G_Stone) May 13, 2018
That's actually one of the benefits of the Obama administration, and that activism is why we now have President Trump.
— Rusty Weiss 🤔🇺🇸 (@rustyweiss74) May 13, 2018
Lol, nobody's stopping you from saying any kind of biased nonsense you want. What you're upset about is that people are actually questioning what you say, and not taking your word for it. That's your real problem.
— Nickarama (@Nickarama1) May 13, 2018
Why is activism necessary if your job is simply to report the truth? Maybe that's not how you view your job, because you're not actually journalists, eh?
— Tall Man Short Hair (@TallManShort) May 13, 2018
