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Hatred of journalists turning to violence, watchdog warns

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By Fiachra GIBBONS

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Putting a photo of Trump along with this story is sheer propaganda.

At absolutely no time has Trump ever supported, encouraged, or advocated violence against journalists.

And I completely fail to see how Trump could possibly have anything to do with journalists' deaths in places like India, Tanzania, and Gambia.

-1 ( +19 / -20 )

I mean, Trump ignored the fact that MBS ordered the death of the journalist Khashoggi so, it wouldn't surprise me if he ignored the death of American journalists as well in the near future. He's shown a distaste for any negative portrayal of himself, and thinks it should be illegal to talk bad about his name. Not so far off, though I don't think Trump can get away with murder in the same fashion that MBS did. He's not quite to that level, yet.

1 ( +10 / -9 )

It's a concerning thing that's happening all around the world. At the same time, a lot of this "anti-press" movement Trump encourages is somewhat deserved as the press is so blatantly biased and makes a big deal out of the smallest things, many of them leading nowhere and should never have been published to begin with. Even if the majority of reporting isn't that nonsense, just having those constant examples gives Trump and his supporters plenty of ammo to work with.

The death of free press would be a disaster, but the 24/7 news cycle and the need to constantly be making mountains out of molehills is also to blame, along with most publications gutting their reporting departments and owners being in charge of many papers, with a trend to just hire freelancers online who can be paid cheaply.

5 ( +11 / -6 )

Welcome to Trump's America, where our country is equivalent to Russia, North Korea, Iran, and all the other African dictatorships and authoritarian regimes that try to limit freedom of the press and control what people can see and hear...

That so many Trump supporters are ready to rescind the First Amendment just shows how successful Putin's information warfare campaign has been.

4 ( +11 / -7 )

Nothing to do with Trump.

Just look at the likes of CNN and their obvious manipulation of facts. They brought this on themselves.

-8 ( +10 / -18 )

Here's Reporters Without Borders 2019 ranking. https://rsf.org/en/ranking

The US ranks 48th. Israel 88. Russia 149. Brunei 152. Turkey 157. Iran 170. Saudi Arabia 172. China 177.

The US Constitutions Amendment I:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Trump's constant attacks on media appeal only to those in his base who want to follow him and undermine the principles the US was built on.

The US 1st Amendment (above) allows, as far as I know, the media to be criticized. It's worrying that the executive would so fiercely attack something so fundamental to the US republic.

Trump seems to be aping despots in countries like Turkey, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Brunei and elsewhere where most media parrot party lines.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

The death of free press would be a disaster, but the 24/7 news cycle and the need to constantly be making mountains out of molehills is also to blame, along with most publications gutting their reporting departments and owners being in charge of many papers, with a trend to just hire freelancers online who can be paid cheaply.

I agree to a point but...it seems like you are blaming the press when you should really be blaming the laziness of people. No matter how much news, whether it be fake, real, stupid, smart, useful, useless, it is up the the responsibility of the reader to form their own opinion, listen to other opinions, and decide for themselves if the news the source is credible. Why blame the media for that, seems like a lot of people these days just want to be told what they should think...

4 ( +6 / -2 )

@Belrick

Can you give some examples of CNN manipulation of facts? Because as an outsider it appears to me that both parties in American politics blame each other for being biased, cry foul, yet the truth doesn’t really matter.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

What does this have to do with Trump or the populist leaders that have been elected in democratic held elections - the public has just realised how many lies the Main Stream Media have been publishing for years, I was in a Taipei Hotel watching CNN there was no news being broadcast it was just a sling off Trump.

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

Just look at the likes of CNN and their obvious manipulation of facts. They brought this on themselves.

This isn't about CNN, The article doesn't even mention CNN. And its not all about Trump either. This just goes to show, people don't read anymore. They hear something, they repeat it. They get fed an opinion, and they eat it. You click on an article and comment on it without even reading it. You imagine what the article says by looking at the photo attached...

7 ( +10 / -3 )

What does this have to do with Trump or the populist leaders that have been elected in democratic held elections - the public has just realised how many lies the Main Stream Media have been publishing for years, I was in a Taipei Hotel watching CNN there was no news being broadcast it was just a sling off Trump.

More commentators that failed to read the article, just shows how powerful the image is and their biased judgments...people need to learn to read again, Make America Readers Again!

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Trump is mentioned once in the article, and because his picture is used in the caption, people immediately comment on it as if it were all about Trump. Did you forget, the world doesn't revolve around Trump. Read!

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Deadforgood, I was gonna say that. Still, there are crazies out there easily instigated by partisan rhetoric. Those in prominent positions bear responsibility at least not to stir up the hornets' nest.

Guess who's among them (hint: he's currently feuding with an evolving Fox News, no longer absolutely obsequious).

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@belrick They brought this on themselves.

CNN 'manipulated facts' and brought what on? Violence against journalists? Did CNN break US laws, slander, libel? Do something criminal? Cry 'fire' in a crowded room?

Journalists have angered presidents from the earliest days of America’s founding.https://www.history.com/news/presidents-relationship-with-press

From my reading of history there has NEVER been a time when media were not biased and did not manipulate facts. Not just in the US but every nation. For-profit media have long bent reporting to fit perspectives.

With the Internet providing individuals with so many sites and so many different perspectives to choose from, I cannot understand why anyone would complain about bias, perceived and real.

Unless they expect someone else to do their thinking for them.

Scary world out there if you want it to be.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Putting a photo of Trump along with this story is sheer propaganda.

At absolutely no time has Trump ever supported, encouraged, or advocated violence against journalists.

I couldn’t agree with you more. The msm trying their best and they wonder why their ratings are in the toilet.

-6 ( +5 / -11 )

You know, (and I'm not just saying right wing media is to blame, but left wing media too) Fox News was created to be a conservative powerhouse that focused on visuals and graphics so that even if the viewer couldn't hear or read, they would "know" what was being said. Their slogans have changed over time from "fair and balanced" to "real news, real honest opinions". Its also no secret that they lean right. So you can kind of get what I'm going at here maybe..

I also do think Fox has been innovative in journalism but its garbage outside of local news now (and a lot of that is garbage too). Same thing goes for CNN, in my opinion.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I couldn’t agree with you more. The msm trying their best and they wonder why their ratings are in the toilet.

So if it was an article with a photo of Hillary in the caption, you would cheer and praise the article without even reading it?

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Putting a photo of Trump along with this story is sheer propaganda.

That's your perspective. Isn't it great to have a free, for-profit press where individuals (great word) are free (another great word) to interpret what's reported from their own perspectives and then comment on it.

Here's a list of 100+ blogs said to represent conservative views.

https://www.ranker.com/list/conservative-blogs/blog-loblaw

Then's there's all of Rupert Murdoch and Putin's global media empires reporting 'conservative', pro-Trump stories. Then there's Sinclair medias dozens of TV stations. Among so many others.

Keep the media free. Protect journalists.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

They brought this on themselves.

If freedom of speech is what we should be blaming for violence, then MAGA cap wearers have it coming to then when they are assaulted huh? Probably should ban those too, huh?

Of course, I don't think we should. Because I believe in freedom of speech.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Can you give some examples of CNN manipulation of facts? 

CNN’s minipulation and smear campaign of Abe and Trump feeding the goldfish.

What should we expect, in the US anyway, from the handful of huge corporations that control 90+% of what we see hear and read.

-7 ( +5 / -12 )

A huge factor is that the word 'journalist' doesnt apply to most of these "news" people anymore. The mainstream news networks are rapidly losing respect and credibility and so are 'journalists' because they have largely become partisan propagandists.

The completely innappropriate pairing of the pic of Donald Trump with this article illustrates it perfectly.

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

The completely innappropriate pairing of the pic of Donald Trump with this article illustrates it perfectly.

Would a picture of a turkey stuck in a tree made any difference? Is Trump's use of licensed music and slogan appropriate pairing for his propaganda? What about right wing partisan propagandists? You love them though, right?

3 ( +6 / -3 )

A huge factor is that the word 'journalist' doesnt apply to most of these "news" people anymore

Here's the definition of 'journalist' according to the Oxford online dictionary:

A person who writes for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or prepares news to be broadcast.

That's a pretty broad definition contracting that statement saying the word 'journalist' doesn't apply. Of course the word 'journalist' has different connotations to different people. A word's denotation and connotation can change over time.

Authors like Yevgeny Zamyatin, Huxley, Orwell among others who've written novels about dystopian futures have long provided examples of totalitarian states taking command of language via state media and using it to manipulate true believers and the intellectually vulnerable. An example could be saying someone who doesn't report things that fit a reader's views isn't a journalist. Other examples could be the ways 'exonerated', 'innocent', 'spy' and so many others are being used today. So many people seem to be unable to reason for themselves and just parrot words spoken by someone, unfortunately sometimes a despot, they want to follow.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I don’t recall the corporate MSM tearing apart Clinton and the Dem establishment for how they stole the nomination from Sanders.

An unbised, untainted legitimite news company would have put their feet to the fire and discredited anyone involved. But nope. Deborah Wasserman Schultz is still in Congress.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

The msm are trying their best and they wonder why their ratings are in the toilet

You write for the elite of the msm.

What do you think they are doing wrong?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

So if it was an article with a photo of Hillary in the caption, you would cheer and praise the article without even reading it?

Barr looks like his doing just that, I’m not cheering, I just want him to look into what the others weren’t will to do.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

You write for the elite of the msm. 

I write for the smaller print minority.

What do you think they are doing wrong.

How much time do you have this month?

If freedom of speech is what we should be blaming for violence, then MAGA cap wearers have it coming to then when they are assaulted huh? Probably should ban those too, huh? 

Even hate speech to a certain point is protected.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

An unbised, untainted legitimite news company

There's never been one; even if there's the technological singularity I doubt there could ever be one.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@Deadforgood,

You make my point perfectly.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

PTownsend, I was just going with the term as it was once used and generally held with a degree of respect. Thats all gone now.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

So , " hack" is more appropriate these days.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

At absolutely no time has Trump ever supported, encouraged, or advocated violence against journalists.

Apart from all the times he has.

But dictators the world over, since the beginnings of journalism, have frequently demonised the press and those who take a close look at their affairs.

That's not to say all journalists are saints and have the best interests of the people at heart. Some have sold their souls to the juntas and have zero integrity as a result.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Toasted Heretic,

The press has demonized itself and shot its own credibility to pieces - markedly since Trump attained the presidency. Its not Trumps doing, theyve destrpyed themselves in their blind hatred and desire to undermine the president. "Collusion" anyone?

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Hatred of journalists whipped up by populist and authoritarian leaders

A lot of it is whipped up by the "journalists" propagating fake news. More and more people have had enough of this nonsense.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

But dictators the world over, since the beginnings of journalism, have frequently demonised the press and those who take a close look at their affairs.

But that’s not our journalists are doing. They are waging a political takedown coup of the President, by any means necessary.

That's not to say all journalists are saints and have the best interests of the people at heart.

Boy, do I agree with you wholeheartedly on that point!

Some have sold their souls to the juntas and have zero integrity as a result.

The list of perpetrators of CNN and msnbc is quite long.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Nothing to do with Trump. I am not aware of any violent acts at all directed at journalists in the United States.

No, “mean” tweets don’t count.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

Trump's crazed rantings and ravings, tearing down and trying to destroy our Constitution, are symptoms of a lunatic or a dictator - in Trump's case I think it's both.

The West won the Cold War, Putin is winning the 21st century information/influence war - and every Trumper here should receive a check from the Kremlin for supporting his efforts.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Trump's crazed rantings and ravings,

You're confusing Trump with the Democrats.

tearing down and trying to destroy our Constitution

That has no basis in reality.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

Nothing to do with Trump. I am not aware of any violent acts at all directed at journalists in the United States.

Apparently you've already forgotten about the bombs sent to US journalists. The same folks Trump attacks as enemies of the people, go figure.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Trump's crazed rantings and ravings, tearing down and trying to destroy our Constitution, are symptoms of a lunatic or a dictator - in Trump's case I think it's both.

And you want to give the Democrats a pass? Especially them? Why?

The West won the Cold War, Putin is winning the 21st century information/influence war - and every Trumper here should receive a check from the Kremlin for supporting his efforts.

Huh? Oh, lol.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

And you forgot none of those people are journalists.

Apparently you've already forgotten about the bombs sent to US journalists. The same folks Trump attacks as enemies of the people, go figure.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

None of the devices harmed anyone, and it was not immediately clear whether any of them could have. One law enforcement official said investigators were examining the possibility that they were hoax devices that were constructed to look like bombs but would not have exploded.

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

Quite from NY Times. None of them ever exploded so it appears they were incapable of doing so. Unless George Soros and Obama and Hillary and Robert Deniro are journalists now- it didn’t happen.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

And you forgot none of those people are journalists.

Save the smarmy comments for when you're actually right. The Trump nutter sent a bomb to CNN.

https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/clintons-obama-suspicious-packages/index.html

None of the devices harmed anyone, and it was not immediately clear whether any of them could have. 

So what? It doesn't matter. The fact that Trump nutters tried to intimidate and possibly harm journalists is the problem.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

To CNN addressed to James Clapper. Also not a journalist.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

So please name the journalists involved in this violence.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Quite from NY Times. None of them ever exploded so it appears they were incapable of doing so.

No, that is not a logical inference from the MAGA bombs having failed to detonate.

Unless George Soros and Obama and Hillary and Robert Deniro are journalists now- it didn’t happen.

It very much did happen, but that's here in reality. In the bubble it may be different though.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

To CNN addressed to James Clapper. Also not a journalist

CNN is full of journalists. Your defense is tenuous at best. Just because Trump supporters aren't intelligent enough to knoevthe names actual journalists, doesn't mean the MAGA Bomber did not try to intimidate the media.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

The topic is violence against journalists. it’s such a huge problem that it gets its own article and a pic of Trump. But none of you can name even one journalist who was a victim of this supposed violence.

But it’s ok as long as you feel morally right the facts don’t matter, right?

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

They didn’t detonate cause they couldn’t detonate. Which makes your “bombs” not actually a bomb at all. And no amount of word twisting will turn anyone who received those into journalists.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

But that’s not our journalists are doing. They are waging a political takedown coup of the President, by any means necessary.

No, the press is doing its job: repeporting on the president's words and actions.

And you want to give the Democrats a pass? Especially them? Why?

Completely irrelevant,

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Why are Deme against a “press conference” today? Do they hate the press?

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

The paid free press will get an opportunity to be updated, ask questions and report facts. Why do Dems hate that idea?

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

The paid free press will get an opportunity to be updated, ask questions and report facts. Why do Dems hate that idea?

What purpose does it serve, other than to mislead, does holding a press conference before the thing is even released?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Didn’t Comey have a press conference to announce Hillary wouidnt be charged at all?

CNN full of custodial and office staff too. This violence against janitors must stop. It was addressed to a person. Non journalist. Try again.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Save the smarmy comments for when you're actually right. The Trump nutter sent a bomb to CNN.

Remember the Bernie Supporter that shot and almost killed Steve Scalise?

So what? It doesn't matter. The fact that Trump nutters tried to intimidate and possibly harm journalists is the problem.

Speaking of nutters....Auditing and targeting FNC James Rosen, trying to break in the house and beat the door in of Tucker Carlson, harassing his daughter in a restaurant....

0 ( +3 / -3 )

CNN is full of journalists.

I could tear this apart, but to be fair, there are some decent people there. Blitzer, King, Tapper are pretty decent, they may be pushing Zucker’s shopping basket a bit, but other than that, not that bad.

Your defense is tenuous at best. Just because Trump supporters aren't intelligent enough to knoevthe names actual journalists, doesn't mean the MAGA Bomber did not try to intimidate the media.

Hmmmm, this is why Liberals keep getting themselves in trouble, it’s for making comments like that, but yeah, if they were smart they would’ve voted for Clinton and then we’d be really screwed, really. So thank God for us dumb ones. ROFL!

Dodged that bullet!

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

The American press has been encouraging a coup in their own country. Maybe that has more than a little bit to do with their low standing with the public.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Speaking of nutters....Auditing and targeting FNC James Rosen, trying to break in the house and beat the door in of Tucker Carlson, harassing his daughter in a restaurant....

Of course the press will not tolerate being treated the way they treat people. They are better than everyone else.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

PTownsend - An unbised, untainted legitimite news company

There's never been one; even if there's the technological singularity I doubt there could ever be one.

There is little point in making excuses for the poor investigating, and poor reporting, of the news media outlets. I expect news media outlets to do a much better job of investigating/reporting the news than they have been doing. It's the viewers who distrust these biased news media outlets.

Turkey, the world's biggest jailer of journalists, was among the worst countries.

Turkey jails journalists. Trump publically argues with the biased claims of journalists in the U.S.. Many of the people promoting biased reporting (because everyone else does it), and the media watchdog Reporters Without Borders considers Turkey's actions to be on par with Trump's. I suggest that news media outlets in the U.S. spend less time whining about their personal feelings of what the news should be, and stick to reporting the facts. But they should only do so if they want the viewers to respect them. Their choice.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

PTownsend - That's your perspective. Isn't it great to have a free, for-profit press where individuals (great word) are free (another great word) to INTERPRET what's reported from THEIR OWN PERSPECTIVES and then comment on it.

That right there is the problem with the news media's "reporting", and it affects how the viewers view the actions/biases of the news media. Biased news reporting does not encourage the viewer/readers to trust, or respect, the reporting of the news media.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Deadforgood - This isn't about CNN, The article doesn't even mention CNN. And its not all about Trump either. This just goes to show, people don't read anymore.

The headline is - Hatred of journalists turning to violence, watchdog warns

CNN employs journalists, even if the article didn't mention CNN by name. The article does mention Trump, and included his picture. It's true, "This just goes to show, people don't read anymore".

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

What do you say about the press bully and publishing faked news? The journalists are not saint either.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

You mean radical jihadist socialists robbing Paul to pay Peter?

Smh.

Yup!

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

That picture is misleading click bait. Which is wrong, Because there is an ugly link between Trump's rhetoric and the rise in violence against certain people in the US.

Shame on you JT.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

"journalists" in name only.

most people want to lash out at their progandists.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

propagandists

1 ( +3 / -2 )

No would-be potentate wants to be confronted with facts, whether by accredited journalists or their imitators like Assange.

You do know that there is no such thing as an "accredited journalist?" The very concept is a violation of journalistic integrity and freedom of speech. Unfortunately many Americans have been trained to think that journalists require some kind of license... issued by the very people they are supposed to keep an eye on.

Assange is more of a journalist than 99% of the clowns working for the corporate media empires.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

zichi - Last night a Northern Ireland journalist was shot dead by an IRA shooter who was firing because of hate. It was a stray bullet but nonetheless killed trying to cover new riots in Londonderry.

You're saying that she wasn't killed because she was a journalist.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Last night a Northern Ireland journalist was shot dead by an IRA shooter who was firing because of hate. It was a stray bullet but nonetheless killed trying to cover new riots in Londonderry.

With respect, zichi, she was not shot by an IRA shooter, she was shot by a dissident. Probably the New IRA. It may not sound like there is a difference, but there is. And it's Derry, as anyone from the Creggan area would tell you.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

More fske news. The only places where violence against journalists has been occuring is north Africa and central Asia and it's been going on since 2002 when Daniel pearl was beheaded by terrorists in Pakistan. Amazing how this article basically pretends that never happened. As hot hatred, that's more of a left wing problem, they hate with a small faction willing to be violent, actual right wingers (not the pretend right-wing which the left fantasizes about), real right wingers are are not typically afflicted by emotional outburst like hate nor violence. However, I general the media is hated and the, reason is because the fskers who call themselves journalists are not journalists, they are propagandists, both left and right, and the scams the journalists lie about have caused misery, riots and possibly death. So how unreasonable is it to not like journalists when they can't report reality and tend to instigate riots and destruction with their fake news. Of course, yellow journalists are the cause of their own problem, the fact remainsvthey have readers who are volitile and will become unhinged if they, are not reading what they want to hear and can't deal with reality

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

However, I general the media is hated and the, reason is because the fskers who call themselves journalists are not journalists, 

Robert Fisk? John Simpson? Feargal Keane? Who are you referring to?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

As hot hatred, that's more of a left wing problem, they hate with a small faction willing to be violent, actual right wingers (not the pretend right-wing which the left fantasizes about), real right wingers are are not typically afflicted by emotional outburst like hate nor violence

Lol. Now that, is what I call the epitome of fake news. Pure supposition and not a single fact contained within.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Trump is very relevant to the discussion. He has directly endangered reporters lives.

Google "trump endangers journalists"

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

zichi, she was killed because she was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. She wasn’t targeted as a journalist. She became the target of a monster who was indiscriminately firing into a crowd.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

zichi - Which means she wasn’t killed for being a journalist. She wasn’t targeted for being a journalist.

The article titled “Hatred of journalists turn to violence” does not apply to this particular incident.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japan seems to be falling behind world and especially US trends. Between 1992-2019 there was only one journalist murdered in Japan. (Others were killed in conflict areas.) He apparently was killed by an underworld figure. Politics was not involved.

https://cpj.org/data/people/satoru-someya/index.php

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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