FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Independent journalist Sam Husseini was dragged out of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s final news conference today after interrupting Blinken’s remarks with questions about the Israel-Gaza war. Another journalist, Max Blumenthal of The Grayzone, was also escorted out.
Seth Stern, director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, commented:
“Days before the inauguration of an anti-press president, the Biden administration handed Trump a gift by normalizing punishing journalists for asking questions officials don’t like. Quibbling about whether these journalists breached decorum misses the point. Decorum is a slippery slope that Trump is sure to rely on to retaliate against journalists for so-called ‘nasty’ questions. Plus, ignoring decorum is understandable under the circumstances — Biden officials have been ducking hard questions about their support for the Israel-Gaza war for over a year. Do they expect journalists just to accept their gibberish answers and thank them?”
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