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The Society of Professional Journalists issued a formal letter to the White House “expressing deep concern over the administration’s new ‘media offenders’ webpage — an official list that publicly targets individual journalists and news outlets for coverage deemed unfavorable,” according to a Dec. 1 SPJ statement.
“This practice raises serious press-freedom concerns, heightens the risk of harassment or harm to reporters and mirrors tactics used by authoritarian governments abroad,” the statement said. “It also undermines the respectful, accountable relationship that should exist between the nation’s highest office and the free press.”
The Trump administration should “remove the page immediately and restore a more constructive, democratic approach to engaging with the media,” SPJ said.
SPJ offered to meet with President Donald Trump or members of his administration “to discuss these concerns and reaffirm the essential role of a free press in our democracy.”
SPJ: Phoenix, Arizona Chapter 