Off the Cliff . . . and Falling.

Until this week I didn't know who Jim Acosta was.  I have watched CNN in the past,  but not  much lately.  So the Presidential abolishment of Acosta from future press conferences came as a surprise.  I watched the video of the event and saw the president of the  US refusing to answer Acosta's question, no matter how he worded it, and then a woman intern tried to grab Acosta's mike and he did not let her.  She tried again and he brushed her arm away. That is what I saw take place, the same thing that might have occurred if a man had tried to take his mic away.  What I really saw taking place though, was the President of the United States being asked to clarify his comments to a member of the Press, who was apparently in the process of seeking an explanation of intention from President Trump.    THEN, I found that Acosta had been permanently abolished from attending  future press conferences.

This might very well be interpreted as President Trump giving a warning to other members of the press:  "Don't ask any other question that I don't want to answer and talk about."  If you do, you may be barred from future press conferences.  Is this a violation of the First Amendment? How does the first amendment read? We will have to paraphrase it, but the first amendment says: "Congress shall make no law . . . prohibiting the free exercise of . . . the press".  OK, so this is not congress, but the President who is  not making a law (not his territory, anyway) but he is nonetheless restricting the free exercise of the press.  The press represents the people, and the  questions asked by members of the press are the process by which the people of the United States can  construct the facts of an issue, or can figure out what is really going on.  In other words, determination of Facts, instead of propaganda.

I recall  that  Eric Sevareid (of CBS) went to Russia back in the 1950s.  He came back and commented that "Russia only reports good news".  Is that the direction that President Trump is taking us?  If he wants to meet the press or not is a choice that only he can make; but if he does decide to conduct a press conference, then he MUST respond to ALL the questions.  He can answer the questions or evade them but the press must be capable of determining what the president is trying to do.