Washington Post reporter Isaac Arnsdorf has allegedly been barred from Trumpâs campaign events since February, according to Vanity Fair, over his rejection of a campaign request to change the title of his book Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movementâs Ground War to End Democracy. Several other reporters also allegedly had press access revoked over critical coverage or public spats with campaign officials. Vanity Fair reported:
In recent weeks, the [Trump] campaign has taken similar punitive measures against other reporters, according to multiple sources familiar with the moves. An Axios reporter had their credentials approved for an event and then revoked the same day, following the publication of a story about the Trump-led Republican National Committeeâs struggles in swing states. (An Axios spokesperson declined to comment.) At least one other Post reporter was temporarily denied press credentials to multiple events after accurately reporting on Trumpâs public statements. Most recently, Brian Stelter, a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, was denied press access to Trumpâs rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.
While it has barred mainstream journalists, the campaign has granted press credentials to a QAnon-promoting show and a podcaster who creates pro-Trump content.
At least one host of the QAnon-promoting podcast MG Show was seemingly given a press pass for Trumpâs December 17 campaign rally in Reno, Nevada. Days before the rally, co-host Shannon Townsend announced on the podcast that after seeking press passes for the rally, the show was granted the status of âaccredited media with Donald Trump and the rally campaign.â Afterward, Townsend posted images from the rally, including one that appears to show him holding a press pass in a media area.
In response to reporter Brian Stelter posting on April 19, âI applied for press credentials for Trump's most recent rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania and was rejected,â Townsend shared an image of his credentials for the Nevada rally, and said, âI have mine.â
MG Show had previously received press credentials for a 2021 Trump rally in Sarasota, Florida, at which host Townsend wore a wristband with the QAnon slogan âwhere we go one, we go allâ â or âWWG1WGAâ for short â and led a crowd in chanting the slogan. The Trump campaign was forced to publicly distance itself from QAnon and MG Show after receiving backlash for credentialing the conspiracy theorists.
In January, Brenden Dilley, a podcaster who has previously promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory, bragged that he was given press credentials for the Trump campaign's Iowa caucus event.
Dilley has been the leader of a pro-Trump online âmeme teamâ which calls itself âTrumpâs Online War Machine,â and he has admitted that he âmake[s] shit upâ to further Trumpâs agenda and hurt his political opponents. During an episode of his show, Dilley displayed the press pass, bragging that he got a âspecialâ and âexclusiveâ press credential that got him into the âTrump War Room,â where he said âpretty much the entire Team Trump comes through.â
Barring mainstream journalists from campaign rallies and other events is hardly new for the Trump team. During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump and his allies waged an all-out war on the press, including banning certain journalists from events, and attacking critical coverage and entire mainstream news outlets as âfake news.â
Trump's presidential term was also marked by repeated instances where mainstream journalists were barred from official events and press conferences over unflattering coverage and unwanted questions. And his reelection campaign also reportedly issued a blanket credential denial against Bloomberg News over the outletâs perceived âbiasâ against him.
Reprinted with permission from Media Matters.
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web