CNN’s Jim Acosta Triggers Creation of New Rules for White House Reporters

President Donald Trump’s attacks on the press are far from infrequent, as he has consistently insulted the media, going as far as to call it an “enemy of the people” on multiple occasions in interviews and on Twitter. However, his most recent attack on a CNN reporter has sparked an unprecedented wave of controversy uniting media sources across the spectrum and sparking court action.

On November 7th, 2018, CNN journalist and chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta and President Trump shared a tense exchange in the White House after Acosta questioned Trump’s decision to send the military to protect the country from a caravan carrying hundreds of migrants seeking asylum. Following the exchange, press secretary Sarah Sanders accused Acosta, a CNN journalist, of laying his hands on a female press aide who was taking a microphone away from him. Because of this, Acosta’s “hard pass” was rescinded which granted him access to the White House grounds.

CNN attempted to negotiate a resolution for multiple days, but eventually filed a lawsuit, arguing that the administration’s actions infringe on the right to the free press. In response, the Justice Department claimed that the White House has the “broad discretion to regulate” journalists’ access to the White House.

Furthermore, as evidence, the Trump administration released a video in which Acosta is seen to be grabbing the press aide; however, news companies such as CBS and the Washington Post have accused the administration of using a heavily edited video from Infowars, a right-wing source known for notorious conspiracy theories. The use of an allegedly doctored video only angered CNN, as communications executive Matt Dornic claimed in a tweet that Sanders’ sharing of the video was “absolutely shameful,” and repeatedly emphasized the danger of considering Sanders’ video as legitimate evidence in court.

Eventually, because of a restraining order, the Trump administration backed down on Acosta’s restrictions and granted him a hard pass. However, they established new rules for journalists, such as the limiting of questions to one per journalist with follow up questions granted by discretion. Most importantly, the administration clearly stated that if the above is not followed, it is in their right to revoke press passes.

While the conflict between CNN and the Trump administration has been temporarily resolved, the hostility of the administration towards the press continues to hold broader implications. Because of the rules imposed, journalists on the White House grounds are treading incredibly thin water; after asking their first question, many will have to choose between accepting an insufficient answer or risking the loss of their press pass. Furthermore, due to the alleged manipulation of the video, many journalists are questioning Sanders’ use of evidence.

Article by MoCo Student staff writer Shevani Tewari of Richard Montgomery High School