As Twitchy reported, some uncomfortable ripples spread quickly through the Capitol when NBC News’ Kasie Hunt tweeted that reporters had been told they were not allow to film interviews with senators in hallways, despite having done so for years.
CNN quickly put together a compilation of Senate Democrats (oh, and “a handful of Republicans”) who expressed outrage over the restriction.
Democratic senators express outrage at the new press restriction https://t.co/iflKAHkZL3 pic.twitter.com/LCqUqlxe83
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 13, 2017
By the time CNN’s piece went live, though, word was that the Senate Rules Committee already had reversed course.
NEW: Senate Rules Committee reverses course on hallway interviews. "You may continue to follow the rules as if it was yesterday."
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) June 13, 2017
We’re not sure exactly what happened, to be honest, but it seems like a bad idea that blew over quickly, thankfully. Chalk it up to being a journalist in the Trump era, apparently.
In the Trump era U.S. journalists have been:
arrested
body slammed
assaulted
blacklisted
taunted by the president
denied standard access— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) June 13, 2017
And had their professionalism maligned
— Lisa Lisa and the Tweet Jam (@Ivory_Lisa) June 13, 2017
Yeah, that was probably the craziest bit of all, having their professionalism maligned.
There’s no denying that the relationship between President Trump and the media is strained at best, but we can’t imagine being, say, Fox News’ James Rosen and reading tweet after tweet like the one above.
https://twitter.com/blackmoortech/status/874683212064112640
https://twitter.com/SanJoseforTrump/status/874691010114142209
We remember that brutal beheading … as well as the reassurance from White House aides that President Obama’s golf game that afternoon “did not reflect the depth of his grief.”
Corralled
— Mark (@walrus310) June 13, 2017
Remember when President Obama’s White House banned photographers during events at which the White House has its own official photographers and videographers present? That was press restriction taken to “another level.”
Every White House restricts access more than last one. That's not news but on the photog front, it's on another level http://t.co/zjmlcQcR8C
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) November 21, 2013
Obama got the ball rolling and Trump ran with it.
— ⚽️Mister Keller (@i_luv_futbol) June 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/SaintsMan4life/status/874686311591968768
They’ve been trying to resurrect journalism ever since the election with the encouragement of high priestess Christiane Amanpour, but they’re still a little rusty at little things like sourcing and fact-checking.
* * *
Related:
Is Eric Holder's 'biggest regret' supposed to make James Rosen feel better? http://t.co/wZRENFbb0U
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) October 29, 2014
Join the conversation as a VIP Member