The 4 in Washington

Published in Almasry Alyoum
(Egypt) on 19 November 2018
by Soliman Gouda (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Iman Alzaghari. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
These days, the United States, and maybe the whole world, is preoccupied with four names, not for their beauty, but rather for a larger issue that is now becoming clear.

The first name is Donald Trump, of course, the second name is Jim Acosta, CNN correspondent, and the third is U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly, while Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the fourth.

The story is that Trump held a press conference in Washington last week regarding the results of the midterm elections and the election of the new Congress, which left Trump half-victorious and half-defeated. The CNN correspondent was present, asked questions and refused to relinquish the microphone. A female White House employee told him that his time was up and that his colleagues also wanted to ask questions. But he didn’t care; he had important questions for the president and wanted answers. The president was very annoyed at Acosta and said he was a rude reporter. A skirmish broke out between the correspondent on one hand and the president and White House employee on the other. It became the talk of the media for days.

The Office of the President revoked Acosta’s press pass, which is required for him to enter the White House and do his job covering the president.

When Trump traveled to France a few days later, CNN sent the same reporter to report on the visit in the French capital. It was remarkable that the respective authorities in Paris gave Acosta a seat very close to the U.S. president at the press conference there!

As soon as he returned to Washington from France, Judge Kelly ordered the reinstatement of Acosta's press pass. Kelly, who was appointed by Trump himself, indicated that the case favored Acosta and the television station that he represents and that the White House was wrong because it did not revoke Acosta’s press pass for a legitimate reason.

Sarah Sanders came out and said that, pursuant to the court ruling, the White House would reinstate Acosta’s pass and that the White House was bound by the judge’s ruling.

The lesson that should not be missed in this case is that if Acosta overstepped, and he did, the way to deal with the media overstepping is to give them more freedom. Only freedom of the press itself can correct these abuses.CNN correspondent was present, asked questions and refused to relinquish the microphone. A female White House employee told him that his time was up and that his colleagues also wanted to ask questions. But he didn’t care, he had important questions for the president and wanted answers. The president was very annoyed at Acosta and said he was a rude reporter. A skirmish broke out between the the correspondent on one hand and the president and White House employee on the other. It became the talk of the media for days.

The Office of the President revoked Acosta’s press pass, which is required for him to enter the White House and do his job covering the president.

When Trump traveled to France a few days later, CNN sent the same reporter to report on the visit in the French capital. It was remarkable that the respective authorities in Paris gave Acosta a seat very close to the U.S. president at the press conference there!

As soon as he returned to Washington from France, Judge Kelly ordered the reinstatement of Acosta's press pass. Kelly, who was appointed by Trump himself, indicated that the case favored Acosta and the television station that he represents, and that the White House was wrong because it did not revoke Acosta’s press pass for a legitimate reason.

Sarah Sanders came out and said that, pursuant to the court ruling, the White House would reinstate Acosta’s pass, and that the White House was bound by the judge’s ruling.

The lesson that should not be missed in this case is that if Acosta overstepped, and he did, the way to deal with the media overstepping is to give them more freedom. Only freedom of the press itself can correct these abuses.


تنشغل الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية هذه الأيام بأربعة أسماء، وربما ينشغل العالم معها بالأسماء الأربعة نفسها، ليس من أجل سواد عيون الأربعة، ولكن من أجل القضية الأكبر فى الموضوع، والتى سوف نرى ملامحها واضحةً أمام أعيننا حالاً!
أما الاسم الأول فهو الرئيس دونالد ترامب بطبيعة الحال، وأما الثانى فهو جيم أكوستا، مراسل شبكة تليفزيون سى إن إن الأمريكية، والثالث هو القاضى الفيدرالى تيموثى كيلى.. أما سارة هاكابى ساندرز، المتحدثة باسم البيت الأبيض فهى الرابعة!
والقصة من أولها أن ترامب كان قد عقد مؤتمراً صحفياً فى واشنطن الأسبوع الماضى، وكانت المناسبة هى الانتهاء من انتخابات التجديد النصفى للكونجرس الأمريكى، التى خرج منها ترامب نصف منتصر ونصف مهزوم، وكان مراسل سى إن إن حاضراً، وكان يسأل ولا يريد أن يترك الميكروفون، وكانت الموظفة المسؤولة تنبهه إلى أنه استغرق وقته، وأن هناك زملاء له آخرين يريدون أن يسألوا، ولكنه لم يكن يهتم.. فعنده أسئلة حائرة يريد إجابات عليها من الرئيس.. وكانت النتيجة أن الرئيس ضاق به جداً، إلى حد أنه وصفه بأنه صحفى وقح!.. ودارت مناوشات بين المراسل من جانب، وبين الرئيس والموظفة من جانب آخر، كانت حديث الإعلام لأيام!
وأعلن مكتب الرئيس بعدها سحب تصريح أكوستا الذى بموجبه يدخل إلى البيت الأبيض، ويمارس عمله، ويتابع أنشطة رئيس الدولة!
وعندما سافر ترامب إلى فرنسا بعد الواقعة بأيام قليلة، أرسل تليفزيون سى إن إن المراسل نفسه لمتابعة الزيارة فى العاصمة الفرنسية، وكان لافتاً أن الجهات المختصة فى باريس، قد أعطت أكوستا مقعداً يجعله قريباً جداً من الرئيس الأمريكى، أثناء مؤتمر صحفى كان سيعقده هناك!
وبمجرد العودة إلى العاصمة الأمريكية من فرنسا، كان القاضى كيلى قد أمر بإعادة تصريح أكوستا المسحوب إليه، وصرح كيلى، الذى كان قرار ترشيحه قاضياً، قد صدر العام الماضى من ترامب ذاته، بما معناه أن القضية عموماً تبدو فى صالح المراسل، وفى صالح التليفزيون الذى يمثله، وأن البيت الأبيض هو المخطئ لأنه لم يُزود أكوستا بالحالات التى يجوز فيها سحب التصريح!
وخرجت سارة ساندرز تقول إنهم خضوعاً للمحكمة سيعيدون التصريح إلى الصحفى، وإنهم فى مكتب الرئيس لا يملكون سوى تنفيذ ما رآه القاضى!
وكان الدرس الذى لا يجوز أن يفوتنا أن أكوستا إذا كان قد تجاوز.. وهو قد تجاوز فعلاً.. فإن علاج تجاوزات الإعلام يكون بالمزيد من الحرية.. فالحرية قادرة على تصحيح تجاوزاتها أولاً بأول.. وبنفسها!
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