NewsGuild-CWA Lauds ‘Heroes of the Moment’
May 19, 2017 – Barely noticed in a May 16 New York Times article by NewsGuild-CWA member Michael S. Schmidt was this gem:
“Alone in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump began the discussion by condemning leaks to the news media, saying that Mr. Comey should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information, according to one of Mr. Comey’s associates.”
“Think about that,” said NewsGuild President Bernie Lunzer. “At a private dinner meeting with then-FBI Director James B. Comey, the president suggested he lock up reporters.”
“Unfortunately, Trump’s vilification of the press is looking less and less like idle chatter designed to satisfy his base,” Lunzer said.
On May 18, security guards at the FCC manhandled a well-regarded reporter, John M. Donnelly of CQ Roll Call, after he “tried to politely ask questions of FCC commissioners” the National Press Club reported. After roughing him up, they forced Donnelly to leave the building.
On May 9, Public News Service radio reporter Dan Heyman was arrested in West Virginia after he persisted in asking Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price about the Republican health care bill as Price walked through the state capitol. Price refuses to criticize the arrest.
“Journalists are among the heroes of the moment,” Lunzer declared. “They are acting on behalf of the American people – asking tough questions, reporting the facts, filling in the blanks, and making connections.
“We must not be intimidated by the war on journalists” he said. “We must defend the #Right2Report.”