JournalismPakistan.com | Published February 03, 2017
Join our WhatsApp channel
MEXICO CITY - US President Donald Trump's "violent" words against the media are worrying and set a bad example for despots who could feel freer to muzzle journalists, a press rights group said Thursday.
"Donald Trump's attitude toward the media is extremely worrisome, of course, for the United States, for freedom of the press in that country," Reporters Without Borders director general Christophe Deloire told AFP.
"He never ceases - with his words, on Twitter - to be violent against journalists and we can already see a form of radicalization against journalists that is worrisome, but it's even more troubling for the rest of the world, since he gives a truly bad example," he said.
Trump and his aides have had a tense relationship with the media that began during the US presidential campaign and has become more confrontational since his inauguration on January 20.
The US leader has accused news organizations of peddling "fake news" and journalists of being "among the most dishonest human beings on Earth."
"Many despots or presidents of restrained democracies will seize on it, saying: 'Look, even the US president says journalists are the most dishonest people on Earth,'" Deloire said.
"This will authorize some to fight journalists even harder and restrain freedom of press."
Deloire spoke on the sidelines of a news conference to present a Reporters Without Borders report on violence against journalists in Mexico's drug cartel-plagued eastern state of Veracruz.
At least 99 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000, including 17 in Veracruz in the past six years, the report said.
The violence has forced many journalists from around the country to take refuge in Mexico City, Deloire said, but some also flee abroad.
"The country where most Mexican journalists go into exile is the US and Trump's remarks about migrants and journalists are evidently extremely troubling for those journalists," he told AFP.
Trump has called Mexican migrants "rapists" and drug runners, and vowed to make Mexico pay for a massive wall across the southern US border. - AFP
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.