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CNN’s Amanpour: Trump Is a ‘Grave and Existential Threat’ to the Press
Newsbusters.org ^ | May 13, 2018 | Nicholas Fondacaro

Posted on 05/13/2018 5:25:04 PM PDT by Kaslin

CNN senior media reporter Brian Stelter kicked off Sunday’s Reliable Sources by complaining about a tweet President put out last week citing a Media Research Center study, which found 90 percent of evening network coverage of the President was negative. Of course, CNN took issue with the facts and put together a lineup of media figures to beat up on the President for criticizing them. Among the group was CNN Chief International correspondent Christiane Amanpour, who wasted no time in lashing out at President Trump and denouncing his favorable attitude towards Fox News.

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,” Amanpour declared after Stelter asked her about how the President’s comment about pulling press credentials was heard around the world.

Amanpour admitted that she didn’t really think President Trump would reject anybody’s press credentials, but that didn’t stop her from fantasizing about how the media would rise up if it were to happen:

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 … 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.

She then praised how the Trump administration had spurred a “huge rise in necessary activism,” and not just from average citizens but from the supposedly impartial and objective press. “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.”

 

CNN’s Amanpour: Trump Is a ‘Grave and Existential Threat’ to the Press

 

Six minutes later, and Amanpour was back at it again. Stelter asked her about how the American withdrawal from the Iran deal and the freed American hostages were reported abroad, but she wanted to talk about Trump’s relationship with Fox News.

“Well, you know, in many different places, in different ways,” she said brushing aside the topic. “I really think what April said both about Fox and also about, you know, pulling credentials in the past and banning certain people from rallies is really important.” She recalled how Trump had banned some news outlets from his campaign rallies and lamented how the press didn’t “all rise up and stand with those members.

Of course, the more applicable analogy would be Obama trying to kick Fox News out of the press pool, which other networks did come together to stop. But Amanpour was out to smear Fox News as well, calling them the President’s “echo chamber.” Ironic, since most of CNN live in theirs.

Amanpour’s warning against Trump and Fox News involved the possibility of them getting the U.S. into another Iraq War situation. “If you remember, all the way back to the George W. Bush administration, they just really sort of mostly talked to Fox. Fox, I called ‘the foot soldiers’ of the George W. Bush administration. Leading and helping and beating the drums to a war in Iraq,” she bloviated. “So that's the danger of just keeping your interviews in one sort of line.

While she did, in fact, once call Fox News Bush’s foot soldiers, her retelling on Sunday was a revision on history she had already revised. Back on June 18, 2007, she did say the foot soldiers comment but she also falsely claimed the whole media was toeing the Bush administration line: “I think the press was muzzled, and I think the press self-muzzled. I'm sorry to say, but certainly television and, perhaps, to a certain extent, my station was intimidated by the administration and its foot soldiers at Fox News.

And no Reliable Sources segment would be complete without equating the President of the United States to a tyrannical despot, so according to Amanpour:

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.

CNN Reliable Sources May 13, 2018 11:03:31 AM Eastern

BRIAN STELTER: Christiane, when the U.S. president threatens to take away media credentials, how is that heard all around the world? What does that mean?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: You know, Brian, 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. 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, or whether they're jokes or whatever. I don't think this administration is going to take away journalists' credentials. 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.

But I think one of the great things of the Trump administration is how it has caused a huge rise in necessary activism. You know, everybody was getting a little lazy, everyone was taking everything for granted, particularly in the United States. And I think women of have come out, you know, black people have come out. The press have come out. Everybody is coming out to defend their profession and their right to exist under the constitution and the laws of the United States.

(…)

11:09: 33 AM Eastern

STELTER: Christiane, if the President was giving interviews, we would be asking about Iran and North Korea. I wonder, from your perch in London how the past week has been covered by the global press. You know, we've heard a lot about the withdrawal from the Iran deal and the arrival of those three Americans from North Korea. How is it playing around the world?

AMANPOUR: Well, you know, in many different places, in different ways. I really think what April said both about Fox and also about, you know, pulling credentials in the past and banning certain people from rallies is really important. Because on the one hand, I think it should be one for all and all for one. If one of our members is targeted, we should all rise up and stand with those members. That's what gives us strength. That's what not happened during the campaign and should have happened when various news organizations were banned from rallies. Everybody should have gotten together and said, we're all in this together.”

Secondly, about just giving interviews to the -- you know, to the channels of choice. All I can say about that is, it becomes an echo chamber as April was saying, and this is not just an academic exercise. If you remember, all the way back to the George W. Bush administration, they just really sort of mostly talked to Fox. Fox I called “the foot soldiers” of the George W. Bush administration. Leading and helping and beating the drums to a war in Iraq, which was based on specious and false intelligence and a manipulation of intelligence and basic lies. As you know, and we're reaping the very, very bad windfall from that still. So that's the danger of just keeping your interviews in one sort of line.

But around the world, 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. If you look at all the journalist groups, and their sort of list of free and unfree press, just the worst. 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.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: biasbyommission; boogedyboogedy; brianstelter; cabletv; christianeamanpour; cnn; conspiracytheories; cyperalerts; doublestandards; fakenews; foxnewschannel; media; mediabiasdebate; msm; presidenttrump; trump; trumpmedia; unreliablesources; video
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To: Kaslin

“grave and existential threat to their work”

That would be us, not POTUS.

We aren’t buying their sh!t anymore and it’s creating an existential crisis in Newslandia.

Not to mention the fact we’ll hang them right after all the pols, if we have any rope left over.


41 posted on 05/13/2018 5:51:48 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Kaslin

The “War Whore” offers her worthless opinion.


42 posted on 05/13/2018 5:52:32 PM PDT by Tallguy
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To: Kaslin

He’s not any threat to a free and independent press, but those journos who are bought and paid for by dark forces of the left should indeed be targeted.


43 posted on 05/13/2018 5:56:28 PM PDT by ScottinVA ( Liberals, go find another country.)
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To: Kaslin

Ipse Dixit!

(because she says so)


44 posted on 05/13/2018 5:58:39 PM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing Obamacare is worse than Obamacare itself.)
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To: Kaslin

You are not a “free press”

You are a propaganda arm of the left/Dims

You are your own worst enemy

Look in the mirror, and try not to shatter it


45 posted on 05/13/2018 5:58:46 PM PDT by A_Former_Democrat (Hey brainwashed students . . . where's your "outrage" @FBI? @BrowardSheriff? DO SOMETHING!!)
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To: Kaslin

The Press is a grave and existential threat to Truth and Liberty. It is well that Trump should oppose such an enemy.


46 posted on 05/13/2018 5:59:07 PM PDT by IronJack (A)
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To: Kaslin

I note how CNN and That’s A-Man-Pour baby wave the Constitution around like it’s the Holy Bible when it comes to the 1st Amendment, but then never fail to shit all over the 2nd.

Screw these hypocrites!


47 posted on 05/13/2018 5:59:22 PM PDT by Alas Babylon! (MAGAMarchOnWashington.com)
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The MSM is the Country’s greatest threat.


48 posted on 05/13/2018 5:59:41 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Mariner
That would be us, not POTUS.

Absolutely correct. Too bad a critical mass of Americans has figured out how the media has been gaming the Constitution; so much so that we elected a guy that doesn't try to kiss their collective asses, either.

She has confused the effect with the cause.

49 posted on 05/13/2018 5:59:49 PM PDT by papertyger
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To: Kaslin

What Press? All we have is a Marxist echo chamber that hates America.


50 posted on 05/13/2018 6:02:58 PM PDT by bray (Pray for President Trump)
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To: Kaslin

President Trump cancels the Iranian nuke deal and Amanpour labels President Trump a “grave and existential threat”. Interesting timing.


51 posted on 05/13/2018 6:04:40 PM PDT by Ticonderoga34
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To: Kaslin

Phhhtttt.... Christiana Amanpour....

What does Judy Woodruff think?


52 posted on 05/13/2018 6:05:02 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Kaslin
CNN’s Amanpour: Trump Is a ‘Grave and Existential Threat’ to the Press

She is too ignorant and stupid to grasp the difference :

If you are "enemy domestic" embrace the unConstitutional resistance and an activist bent on destroying The Republic, and are delusional in your sense of importance, you are doomed.

If you simply do your job and just report events, and the who, what? where? and why? you will succeed so long as you keep your mouth shut about your ignorant opinion and total blank about human nature and of the errors of history.

53 posted on 05/13/2018 6:05:09 PM PDT by publius911
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To: Kaslin
Is Amanpour a "transgender"? She looks more masculine than Lindsey Graham. She talks like a man pretending to be a lady. Something ain't right with her. Of course I'm speaking of her 20 years ago. I haven't seen her on TV since then. Maybe she's had some "work" done since then.
 
54 posted on 05/13/2018 6:05:20 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (MAGA in the mornin', MAGA in the evenin', MAGA at suppertime . . .)
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To: A_Former_Democrat

>> [CNN] a propaganda arm of the left/Dims

CNN may be acquired by ATT
NBC, MSNBC is Comcast
ABC, ESPN is Disney


55 posted on 05/13/2018 6:05:59 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Kaslin

And this is bad...why?...


56 posted on 05/13/2018 6:06:11 PM PDT by LeoTDB69
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To: Kaslin

This is why the press wants net neutrality.


57 posted on 05/13/2018 6:07:30 PM PDT by LukeL
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To: Kaslin

the “press” is a corrupt bribe taking fraudulent piece of unholy filth.


58 posted on 05/13/2018 6:07:40 PM PDT by Eddie01
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To: Kaslin

Amanpour lies like a sack of diseased excrement.


59 posted on 05/13/2018 6:07:52 PM PDT by Carl Vehse
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To: Kaslin

I’ll bet everyone had serious looks on their faces and nodded gravely. Inbred maggots.


60 posted on 05/13/2018 6:10:16 PM PDT by Ken H (Best election ever!)
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