If you thought CNN’s open anti-Trump hysteria couldn’t get any wilder, then buckle up, because at the end of Reliable Sources on Sunday host Brian Stelter led a segment dedicated to press crackdowns by dictators and how the President’s “fake news” call-outs were helping them.
Stelter began the segment with a monologue about the case of “award-winning Mexican journalist, Emilio Gutierrez, and his son,” who was staying in the U.S. illegally and were now detained and facing deportation. “Emilio was tried, he sought refugee status. He was denied and his appeal failed. So he fled to the U.S. in 2008 after threats on his life because of his reporting on Mexican military corruption,” Stelter explained, noting that the reporter feared for his life if he was forced to return.
Admitting that Gutierrez’s case was “unique,” Stelter juxtaposed it other counties whose murderous leaders lock up reporters for exposing corruption. “In fact, there are 262 journalists jailed worldwide with the bulk of them in three counties: Turkey, China, and Egypt,” he recalled.
When the panel was brought on, Stelter first talked with Gutierrez’s lawyer, Eduardo Beckett who went on a rant slamming the Trump administration for “promoting tyranny” around the globe. “The denial of his asylum is basically sending a signal to the world that the United States does not want to promote democracy and freedom of expression,” he smeared.
The next guest to assert that Trump was aiding foreign dictators was Courtney Radsch, the advocacy director for the Committee to Protect Journalists. Noting Stelter’s earlier statistic on imprisoned journalists in Turkey, China, and Egypt, Radsch lamented how “sadly, these are also three of the countries that President Trump chose to meet with their leaders at the beginning of his term and as far as we know didn't raise this.” And she blamed the use of the “fake news” tag for the increase in arrests.
“Meaning these dictatorships are using the term 'fake news' as a slur in order to attack journalists,” Stelter asked in shock. “Absolutely,” Radsch claimed, to Stelter’s “God” exclamation.
Radsch continued by noting how conditions for journalists had gotten worse over the last two years, and according to her, it was all because of Trump. “So, what this is saying is that journalists are in a very perilous position and it’s made worse by the President of the United States deciding to pillory the news industry and target individual journalists. And this is having an impact,” she lambasted.
“We can see the fake news, you know, rhetoric being used by leaders around the world to legitimize a crackdown on the press from everywhere from Russia to Egypt, even Poland, and Hungary,” Radsch added, making seem like Trump was leading a worldwide effort.
It has become an essential narrative for CNN to claim that Trump has threatened the lives of journalists at home and abroad. During the summer, Stelter and a panel of other anti-Trump media flacks suggested that Trump was sending a death threat to the cable network in the form of a juvenile tweet featuring a gif from a WWE match he was a part of.
CNN’s unbridled hysteria was paid for by Garlique, Omaha Steaks, Volvo, Whole Foods, Stein Mart, Red Lobster, and Planters.
Transcript below:
CNN
Reliable Sources
December 17, 2017
11:54:51 AM EasternBRIAN STELTER: Detained and facing deportation, that's the reality facing this award-winning Mexican journalist, Emilio Gutierrez, and his son, as well. Emilio was tried, he sought refugee status. He was denied and his appeal failed. So he fled to the U.S. in 2008 after threats on his life because of his reporting on Mexican military corruption. Now, he fears those threats will be carried out if he's forced to return. Emilio’s case is just one of many. In fact, there are 262 journalists jailed worldwide with the bulk of them in three counties: Turkey, China, and Egypt. Now, his case is unique. Let's start with that. His attorney joins me now. Eduardo Beckett, he’s the attorney for Emilio. Also with me, Courtney Radsch the advocacy director at the Committee to Protect Journalists. So, let's start with this cases in Texas involving Emilio.
(…)
STELTER: So the U.S. says he's here illegally and has to go home. Is it that simple?
EDUARDO BECKETT: He entered legally back in 2008. And he basically turned himself in to ask for asylum. He has openly been criticizing Mexican government security forces in particular, the military. He's right now being treated like a criminal. We call it the criminalization of asylum. The denial of his asylum is basically sending a signal to the world that the United States does not want to promote democracy and freedom of expression. And if they deny him again, then what the U.S. is actually promoting-- and not the U.S. in particular but I would say the Department of Justice under Jeff Sessions, or under the Trump administration, I would say that they're promoting tyranny and that's the message that they're sending, right? That we don't care about free expression and I believe that we have to protect our journalists here at home and abroad because that is fundamental to the promotion of democracy and freedom all over the world. And that's something that the U.S. has always fought for.
(…)
COURTNEY RADSCH: But if we look at imprisonment, more than half of the 262 journalists imprisoned around the world are in Turkey, China, and Egypt. Sadly, these are also three of the countries that President Trump chose to meet with their leaders at the beginning of his term and as far as we know didn't raise this. We know that journalists are generally being jailed on anti-state charges which mean they're doing journalism but it's equated with supporting terrorism and we're also seeing that the whole false news issue has landed more than twice as many journalists in jail as last year.
STELTER: Meaning this dictatorships are using the term “fake news” as a slur in order to attack journalists?
RADSCH: Absolutely. We're seeing—
STELTER: God.
RADSCH: -- it's being used to imprison and attack journalists, but to kick them out of the country as in the case of Cambodia, kicking out Radio Free Asia, in terms of delegitimizing journalists. So, this year there are 21 journalists behind jail on false news charges. Usually, this means they were reporting on something that the government didn't like or didn't agree with or would prefer to remain silent.
STELTER: A very disturbing situation. The take way I found from your report is that it's getting worse, it’s not getting better. We're at the same numbers as we were this time last year.
RADSCH: It is getting worse. This is the worst year on record since we began keeping records in the early 1990s, and last year was the worst year before this. So, what this is saying is that journalists are in a very perilous position and it’s made worse by the President of the United States deciding to pillory the news industry and target individual journalists. And this is having an impact. We can see the fake news, you know, rhetoric being used by leaders around the world to legitimize a crackdown on the press from everywhere from Russia to Egypt, even Poland, and Hungary.
