Ahead of the White House correspondents’ dinner, which President Trump will be attending for the first time as president, Courteney Leinonen, researcher at Amnesty International USA, made the following statement:
“Despite unleashing a barrage of attacks against the press, President Trump is now gearing up to rub elbows with the who’s who in the U.S. media world at the White House correspondents’ dinner. In stark contrast to what should be a celebration of the vital role of free press in our society is the presence of a President who belittles journalists, attacks the institution and erodes press freedom.
“This is a President whose administration has harassed, arrested, detained and even deported journalists, simply for doing their job.
“President Trump clearly views the press as a threat to his authoritarian agenda, and his administration has taken actions to undermine the critical role of a free press and punish journalists — practices pulled directly from the authoritarian playbook.
“The work of journalists is essential to the protection of human rights. A free press sheds light on injustices, uplifts marginalized voices and keeps government accountable. When journalists are threatened, attacked, and jailed for doing their job, the world is left in the dark.
“We remind President Trump that his administration has an obligation to safeguard press freedom. Around the world, Amnesty has fought to protect journalists, and we will continue to do so, including here in the United States.”
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