US President Donald Trump's relationship with the media leaves a lot to be desired, and his latest threat is bound to make it worse. The US Commander in Chief is reportedly threatening to jail journalists who leaked reports concerning an Air Force officer getting gunned down on Friday, 3 April, and being unaccounted for.
Trump pointed out that the report put Iran on notice and placed the life of the airman in danger.
'They basically said that "we have one and there's somebody missing." Well, they didn't know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information," Trump said in a report by The Guardian.
Trump announced on Sunday, 5 April, that the badly injured airman had been recovered thanks to the efforts of a US recovery team. The US President made the announcement on social media, detailing how the US military pulled off one of the most daring search-and-rescue operations in US history.
Further, an unnamed senior US administration official added that the CIA had a hand with its deception campaign before the second crew member was found. He explained that the campaign managed to confuse Iranian officials while the agency conducted its search-and-rescue operations per a report by the Associated Press.
Trump Bent On Making Leaker Pay
With the missing airmen accounted for, Trump is now embarking on a different battle against the media. From the way he spoke, it appears he already has a specific outlet in mind and vowed to make the reporter responsible pay.
'We're going to go to the media company that released it, and we're going to say, "National security, give it up or go to jail,"' Trump said. 'The person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn't say,' he added.
Trump's War Against Media Is Nothing New
Trump's relationship with the media has not exactly been a smooth one since he took office for the second time. He has restricted certain outlets from covering the White House and the Pentagon, preferring to have his own pool of journalists that he has control over.
But being the US President, other outlets continue to report and deliver updates on Trump's every move. However, reports that Trump dislikes often turn ugly, sometimes leading to lawsuits that raised questions on press freedom.
According to CNN, at least six organisations have been personally sued by Trump because he did not like their reporting. Some of these lawsuits have dragged on for years, with Trump getting his share of setbacks from them.
No Setbacks for Trump
Regardless, this has not stopped the US President from trying to control the media. The recent leak drew his ire, although Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, begs to differ. He stressed that journalists do not work for the government and have the right to publish government leaks since it is protected by the First Amendment.
'Journalists don't work for the government and their right to publish government leaks is protected by the first amendment which, despite Trump's efforts, remains the law of the land, and does not disappear whenever the words 'national security' are uttered,' Stern stated.
Stern raises a valid point, although Trump is unlikely to care about standing rules or amendments. He arguably wants to be in control of everything – including what should or should not be reported to the public.
