Seeing and treating other people — press or not
Religious liberty is a key hallmark of our country (“Squeezing the press: Another day at the White House,” Our View, Nov. 9). The First Amendment states in part regarding religion, Congress shall not “prohibit the free exercise thereof.” Those rights are not “so-called” as you claim; they are real and extremely important. Certain drugs, pills and methods of birth control violate some people’s concern over the sanctity of life. Birth control is available through many locations and means (i.e., condoms at a drug store). Despite assertions to the contrary, health care is not a right. It is a commodity. We should let insurance operate and behave like insurance through open and free markets. Free markets, when allowed to exist as such, spurn competition and level prices through supply and demand. It’s true in cars, peanut butter, TVs and yes, health care, too.
If you do not trust a video from Infowars or from anything Sarah Sanders, then just look at stock video of the Nov. 7 Donald Trump/Jim Acosta news conference initially released by many outlets. There’s no need to slow down anything — zoom, highlight, augment, whatever. It was plainly obvious to me that CNN journalist Acosta made physical contact with the intern trying to do her job (while he was trying to do his) and take a microphone back. Even if the contact was done without evil intent, which is fair to say, it would be disingenuous to claim there was zero touching.
When it comes to Acosta, it is important to not look at that press conference as an isolated incident. He has a long history of choosing not to let others talk or relinquish the floor after his turn is over and another reporter is called on to ask a question.
Imagine press briefings if everyone behaved like him — overlapping shouting and no chance to let others speak. Both with Trump and White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, he seems to think press briefings are his platform to continue on without end. They are not one-on-one interviews; they are press briefings. Acosta does not have the right to monopolize the floor and do whatever he wants under your description of “doing what reporters do.”
President Barack Obama, to his credit, would not tolerate it. I recall a video of Obama once shutting down a mouthy protester or unhappy attendee at a White House event. There were no concerns about attacks on the free press.
Your comparison to actions in China regarding a free press are completely unrelated. People in China do not have protected rights of a free press or religion as spelled out in our Bill of Rights. Their state can jail anyone they want. Churches have to hide underground to avoid arrest. CNN can still send reporters to the White House. CNN has not been shut down. Jim Acosta can still talk about whatever he wants. The White House press corps wasn’t disbanded. One reporter lost his access pass due to behavior. No one has been locked up.