Posted on 12/17/2017 2:53:49 PM PST by Kaslin
If you thought CNN’s open anti-Trump hysteria couldn’t get any wilder, then buckle up, because at the end of Reliable Sources on Sunday host Brian Stelter led a segment dedicated to press crackdowns by dictators and how the President’s “fake news” call-outs were helping them.
Stelter began the segment with a monologue about the case of “award-winning Mexican journalist, Emilio Gutierrez, and his son,” who was staying in the U.S. illegally and were now detained and facing deportation. “Emilio was tried, he sought refugee status. He was denied and his appeal failed. So he fled to the U.S. in 2008 after threats on his life because of his reporting on Mexican military corruption,” Stelter explained, noting that the reporter feared for his life if he was forced to return.
Admitting that Gutierrez’s case was “unique,” Stelter juxtaposed it other counties whose murderous leaders lock up reporters for exposing corruption. “In fact, there are 262 journalists jailed worldwide with the bulk of them in three counties: Turkey, China, and Egypt,” he recalled.
When the panel was brought on, Stelter first talked with Gutierrez’s lawyer, Eduardo Beckett who went on a rant slamming the Trump administration for “promoting tyranny” around the globe. “The denial of his asylum is basically sending a signal to the world that the United States does not want to promote democracy and freedom of expression,” he smeared.
CNN Media Panel Claims Trump Is Leading World Dictators on Press Crackdown
The next guest to assert that Trump was aiding foreign dictators was Courtney Radsch, the advocacy director for the Committee to Protect Journalists. Noting Stelter’s earlier statistic on imprisoned journalists in Turkey, China, and Egypt, Radsch lamented how “sadly, these are also three of the countries that President Trump chose to meet with their leaders at the beginning of his term and as far as we know didn't raise this.” And she blamed the use of the “fake news” tag for the increase in arrests.
“Meaning these dictatorships are using the term “fake news” as a slur in order to attack journalists,” Stelter asked in shock. “Absolutely,” Radsch claimed, to Stelter’s “God” exclamation.
Radsch continued by noting how conditions for journalists had gotten worse over the last two years, and according to her, it was all because of Trump. “So, what this is saying is that journalists are in a very perilous position and it’s made worse by the President of the United States deciding to pillory the news industry and target individual journalists. And this is having an impact,” she lambasted.
“We can see the fake news, you know, rhetoric being used by leaders around the world to legitimize a crackdown on the press from everywhere from Russia to Egypt, even Poland, and Hungary,” Radsch added, making seem like Trump was leading a worldwide effort.
It has become an essential narrative for CNN to claim that Trump has threatened the lives of journalists at home and abroad. During the summer, Stelter and a panel of other anti-Trump media flacks suggested that Trump was sending a death threat to the cable network in the form of a juvenile tweet featuring a gif from a WWE match he was a part of.
CNN’s unbridled hysteria was paid for by Garlique, Omaha Steaks, Volvo, Whole Foods, Stein Mart, Red Lobster, and Planters.
Transcript below:
CNN Reliable Sources December 17, 2017 11:54:51 AM Eastern
BRIAN STELTER: Detained and facing deportation, that's the reality facing this award-winning Mexican journalist, Emilio Gutierrez, and his son, as well. Emilio was tried, he sought refugee status. He was denied and his appeal failed. So he fled to the U.S. in 2008 after threats on his life because of his reporting on Mexican military corruption. Now, he fears those threats will be carried out if he's forced to return. Emilio’s case is just one of many. In fact, there are 262 journalists jailed worldwide with the bulk of them in three counties: Turkey, China, and Egypt. Now, his case is unique. Let's start with that. His attorney joins me now. Eduardo Beckett, he’s the attorney for Emilio. Also with me, Courtney Radsch the advocacy director at the Committee to Protect Journalists. So, let's start with this cases in Texas involving Emilio.
(…)
STELTER: So the U.S. says he's here illegally and has to go home. Is it that simple?
EDUARDO BECKETT: He entered legally back in 2008. And he basically turned himself in to ask for asylum. He has openly been criticizing Mexican government security forces in particular, the military. He's right now being treated like a criminal. We call it the criminalization of asylum. The denial of his asylum is basically sending a signal to the world that the United States does not want to promote democracy and freedom of expression. And if they deny him again, then what the U.S. is actually promoting-- and not the U.S. in particular but I would say the Department of Justice under Jeff Sessions, or under the Trump administration, I would say that they're promoting tyranny and that's the message that they're sending, right? That we don't care about free expression and I believe that we have to protect our journalists here at home and abroad because that is fundamental to the promotion of democracy and freedom all over the world. And that's something that the U.S. has always fought for.
(…)
COURTNEY RADSCH: But if we look at imprisonment, more than half of the 262 journalists imprisoned around the world are in Turkey, China, and Egypt. Sadly, these are also three of the countries that President Trump chose to meet with their leaders at the beginning of his term and as far as we know didn't raise this. We know that journalists are generally being jailed on anti-state charges which mean they're doing journalism but it's equated with supporting terrorism and we're also seeing that the whole false news issue has landed more than twice as many journalists in jail as last year.
STELTER: Meaning this dictatorships are using the term “fake news” as a slur in order to attack journalists?
RADSCH: Absolutely. We're seeing—
STELTER: God.
RADSCH: -- it's being used to imprison and attack journalists, but to kick them out of the country as in the case of Cambodia, kicking out Radio Free Asia, in terms of delegitimizing journalists. So, this year there are 21 journalists behind jail on false news charges. Usually, this means they were reporting on something that the government didn't like or didn't agree with or would prefer to remain silent.
STELTER: A very disturbing situation. The take way I found from your report is that it's getting worse, it’s not getting better. We're at the same numbers as we were this time last year.
RADSCH: It is getting worse. This is the worst year on record since we began keeping records in the early 1990s, and last year was the worst year before this. So, what this is saying is that journalists are in a very perilous position and it’s made worse by the President of the United States deciding to pillory the news industry and target individual journalists. And this is having an impact. We can see the fake news, you know, rhetoric being used by leaders around the world to legitimize a crackdown on the press from everywhere from Russia to Egypt, even Poland, and Hungary.
Emilio should have “fled” to Rio. But they don’t have USA type gimmes there for illegals. Of course the USA was his target.
Another article where I’m not willing to read past the title. The fact that CNN is still there to rant and rave about Trump is exhibit A that he’s not really cracking down on them, apart from possibly excluding them from some of the unofficial WH scrums.
Indeed!
What nonsense. They can print whatever they want; the only difference is that now they are being called out for their lies.
FAKE NEWS ALERT!
Who the hell is Brian Stelter?
Comedy Nuts Network
It appears to be a life form consisting of an addled Dodo bird egg that grew a fat human body off of one end.
If Trump is cracking down on the press, why is CNN still on the air?
So, aside from all of the other things that they got wrong or did not mention, CNN just happened to forget that Mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez, and his son - whom they featured in this whole biased screed about Trump being a dictator - has been in this country since 2008. Now my math skills may not be up to the standards of an Einstein, but it seems to me that during that time a certain guy named Obama was President for 8 years. What did CNN say about Obama’s actions regarding this journalist and his son in this screed? What did President Obama do to improve press freedom by giving this guy asylum? The obvious answer, since he does not have asylum, is NOTHING. Yet, there is not one word of criticism of Obama or his administration in this screed. Gee, I wonder why that might be.
This is sedition plain and simple.
Regarding the Egyptian treatment: Of the 20 journalists in Egyptian jails, 12 have not been convicted or sentenced for any crime. The prolonged imprisonment of Egyptian journalists comes as President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi battles deadly extremism and high unemployment in the country, and as Cairo and Washington cooperate closely on security.
Recall, Hillary and the U.S. Embassy in Cairo were very close to Muslim Brotherhood journalists.
Since I can discern absolutely no change in CNN’s biased, negative, and falsification in it’s reporting I think they have more than a little trouble supporting their lies about Trump.
Or the education system is just that terrible.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
