The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was supposedly a celebration of the first amendment, but Saturday’s dinner was a Donald Trump bashing fest with cries of his threat to journalism. But during Sunday’s MediaBuzz on Fox News, The Hill’s Joe Concha unloaded on his liberal colleagues for their overblown hysteria. “Here is what I will say to that. Press briefings with Sean Spicer have never been more democratic,” he declared.
“There are more voices than ever before in terms of reporters, in terms of Skype, journalist is still on Air Force One,” he explained. “Also, Trump is doing an enormous amount of interviews … this week alone, Howie, Trump has done interviews with The Washington Post, New York Post, Washington Examiner, New York — Post, CBS News, Reuters, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Fox News.”
He also argued that “just because you criticize reporters doesn't mean you are attacking the first amendment. Actually, it’s the opposite because he’s exercising his right to free speech.”
Concha had a harsh reminder for the liberal media: former President Obama was the greater threat to the first amendment. “Spied on James Rosen. Secretly seized AP phone records. Rejected a record number of FOIA requests. Those are actions, not words. That’s more important. That’s more of a threat to the press,” he recalled.
The takedown of the liberal press’s hysteria continued on Monday’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, where Concha argued that the WHCD was deeply anti-Trump. “Absolutely it seemed personal. No question about it. There was vitriol toward Donald Trump, Tucker, that we have never seen with any other president,” he stated.
He then cited a study by the Media Research Center that documented the sky-high levels of negativity against Trump from network evening news. “I get they are conservative but I did a study that showed 89% of stories are negative toward Donald Trump,” he shared. But he back that up with an equally damaging study out of the Switzerland:
Okay. Let's go to the Swedes. They have a company called Media Tenor-- research firm. 97 out of 100 stories by the CBS Evening News and the NBC Nightly News were negative toward Donald Trump and his first month. I get it if it’s 65, 35, it’s always going to skew negative. But 97-3, that tells me that there is probably an agenda there.
Concha also chastised the White House Correspondents Association for not taking their extreme stance under the Obama administration. “They spied on James Rosen. Not only that … they designated him as a flight risk so they were then have to tell them about their surveillance,” he exclaimed. “They secretly seized Associated Press phone records. They rejected a record number of FOIA request, freedom of information requests. Those are threats to the first amendment!”
The best way that Concha described the difference between Obama and Trump, in terms of them being a threat to the first amendment, was simple: “Actions: Obama. Words: Trump.”
Transcripts below:
FNC
MediaBuzz
April 30, 2017
11:51:32 AM EasternHOWARD KURTZ: So, Zucker said this while accepting an award. Is the Trump White House threatening journalism?
JOE CONCHA: I heard this a lot last night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The First Amendment is under attack. Here is what I will say to that. Press briefings with Sean Spicer have never been more democratic. There are more voices than ever before in terms of reporters, in terms of Skype, journalist are still on Air Force One. Also, Trump is doing an enormous amount of interviews, not to mention he’s tweeted 98 out of 100 times during his first 100 days in office — 98 days out of 100. But this week alone, Howie, Trump has done interviews with The Washington Post, New York Post, Washington Examiner, New York — Post, CBS News, Reuters, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Fox News. So, does that sounds like the First Amendment is under attack? Just because you criticize reporters doesn't mean you are attacking the first amendment. Actually, it’s the opposite because he’s exercising his right to free speech.
KURTZ: He has the right as well and I would just note that the Obama administration prosecuted more — dragged reporters into the prosecutorial process in these leak investigations and that was threatening journalism. Alright —
CONCHA: Spied on James Rosen. Secretly seized AP phone records. Rejected a record number of FOIA requests. Those are actions, not words. That’s more important. That’s more of a threat to the press.
...
FNC
Tucker Carlson Tonight
May 1, 2017
8:13:38 PM EasternTUCKER CARLSON: I wasn't there. I was on the other side of the continent. I usually go. But watching the tape of it, as I did today, it seemed from beginning to end, hostile to the President. Let me be totally clearly still not clear. I think reporters' job is to hold the powerful to account and to apply a lot of scrutiny to people in power, but this seemed personal. Did it feel that way there?
JOE CONCHA: Absolutely it seemed personal. No question about it. There was vitriol toward Donald Trump, Tucker, that we have never seen with any other president. I base that our numbers, that’s not my opinion. Media Research Center. I get they are conservative but I did a study that showed 89% of stories are negative toward Donald Trump. Okay. Let's go to the Swedes. They have a company called Media Tenor research firm. 97 out of 100 stories by the CBS Evening News and the NBC Nightly News were negative toward Donald Trump and his first month. I get it if it’s 65, 35, it’s always going to skew negative. But 97-3, that tells me that there is probably an agenda there.
And by the way, a threat to the first amendment doesn't happen when a president is mean to the press. When he is nasty to them. That’s him actually exercising his first amendment right. You could say it is beneath the presidency. But we’re confusing Trump being mean to the press with first amendment being suppressed.
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