CNN’s Jim Acosta confronted White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer at the press briefing and asked him why the cameras are off. Instead of giving an answer, Spicer ignored the question.
The exchange began when Acosta shouted a question to Spicer about the healthcare bill. Spicer ignored the question, but said, “The cameras are off, Jim.”
Acosta captured his response in a tweet:
I asked Spicer if we could turn the cameras on at today's briefing. He ignored the question.
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— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 26, 2017
The CNN reporter had fumed before the briefing began:
This is not campaign event. This is the WH. We are sitting in a briefing room full of cameras and taxpayer funded spokesman at podium. https://t.co/73a23TIVOx
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 26, 2017
The Beltway media is conflicted. Some of them want to handle the blackout through the official White House Correspondents Association, while others like Acosta, are ready for confrontation and rebellion.
Trump is escalating his information suppression. The President has stopped taking questions during his press events with world leaders at the White House:
Trump is also making statement only in Rose Garden today with Indian PM. No press questions as is normally the case in such a setting.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 26, 2017
Beltway reporters and the networks are terrified of losing access to the White House, which is the reason why no one has turned on their camera and filmed the briefing. Some think that the reporters should stop attending the briefings, but doing so would give Trump exactly what he wants. Trump is attempting to dodge accountability and keep the American people in the dark. What Acosta is doing might be too aggressive for some of his colleagues, but he is correct.
What makes anyone think that this White House will respect or pay attention to anything that the White House Correspondents Association has to say?
If reporters want the cameras back on, they are going to have to attend the briefings and fight for First Amendment.
Anything less is a victory for Trump.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
