Trump attacks CNN’s Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference: ‘Just sit down’ (via Independent)

Trump, Bolsonaro, Orban, Erdogan, Suu Kyi… and the press

Our personal weekly selection about journalism and innovation. Stay up to date by following our Telegram channel or by subscribing to our Newsletter, and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

edited by Marco Nurra

• White House revokes CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s credentials after furious exchange with Trump. President called Acosta a “rude, terrible person” after he refused to give up a microphone while trying to ask a question.
• Words and walkouts aren’t enough. CNN should sue Trump over revoking Acosta’s press pass, writes Margaret Sullivan. “Whether you like Acosta’s style, it’s clear the White House crossed a bright line Wednesday when it took away Acosta’s ‘hard pass’, which allows him the access he needs to cover the White House.”
• People are arguing about whether this Trump press conference video is doctored. A viral clip showing a confrontation between CNN reporter Jim Acosta and a White House aide at a Wednesday press conference with President Trump has provided us with a handy example of the coming video manipulation dystopia. The video clip was picked up and tweeted by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders as proof that Acosta “put his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job.” But observers online quickly pointed out that the clip may have been doctored and that someone might have changed the speed of Acosta’s arm to “amp up the conflict.”

• Brazil’s next president declares war on ‘fake news’ media. For Brazil’s right-wing President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, attacking critical press outlets almost daily on social media is not enough. Once in office, he vows to hit their bottom line.
• The news is bad in Hungary. Viktor Orban didn’t like what the press was reporting, so he took it over. Magyar Hang is a conservative, center-right newspaper — no more radical than The Wall Street Journal. Gyorgy Zsombor, the editor in chief of Magyar Hang said to New York Times: “We couldn’t imagine 10 years ago that it would happen in Hungary. We thought democracy was stronger.”
• Erdogan champions Khashoggi while trampling Turkish journalists and dissidents. Mr. Erdogan’s use of the case in the name of justice has left many deeply conflicted in Turkey, a country where tens of thousands of citizens have been caught up in a government crackdown since a coup attempt in 2016. In fact, Turkey is the world’s leading jailer of journalists, according to information compiled by CPJ.
• Myanmar: imprisoned Reuters journalists launch appeal. The guilty verdict in June drew condemnation from the UN and governments across the world and was seen as a big step back for democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar. Many had hoped that Aung San Suu Kyi, who during her 15 years under hour arrest had been a vocal advocate of free speech, might pardon the pair. Instead she has defended their imprisonment.
• This Spanish data-driven news site thinks its work goes past publishing stories — to lobbying the government and writing laws. After reporting extensively on a government process, Eva Belmonte showed up at Spanish legislators’ offices with 100-page proposed amendments — and some of her legislative language has made it into Spanish law. “You feel all this knowledge would be useful for something, for trying to change something.”
• More than a million readers contribute financially to the Guardian. Editor-in-chief Katharine Viner said that many contributors donated specifically because they wanted the Guardian to stay free and outside a paywall, so “progressive journalism can have the widest possible impact.”
• Fox News is poisoning America. Rupert Murdoch and his heirs should be shunned. “Fox News has poisoned, with its far-right conspiracy theories, far more Americans than Breitbart, Gab, 4chan, Alex Jones, etc. But Rupert Murdoch and his heirs — who control Fox — have not been held responsible,” argues The Intercept’s Peter Maass.
• Headlines can’t handle Trump’s lies, so it’s time to rethink them. “Quoting the president requires context. Fitting that into headlines and social media posts is a problem.”
• China’s state-run press agency has created an ‘AI anchor’ to read the news. But the agency’s new host isn’t any more sophisticated than a CGI puppet.

Did you miss any #ijf18 sessions? No problem! Our video platform provides videos of all 2018 festival sessions. Plus an archive of all sessions from previous festivals back to 2013. Here you can find some recommendations.