OPINION: Missing Saudi journalist a reminder that reporters worldwide face much worse than Trump’s tweets
President Donald Trump spoke with the ruler of Saudi Arabia yesterday about its role in the disappearance of the Saudi-born journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of Saudi leadership who appears to have been killed in Turkey. By late that day, CNN reported, the Saudi government was preparing a statement saying Khashoggi had died accidentally during an interrogation by Saudi officials.
Trump, an outspoken critic of journalists and their work, has repeatedly accused the “mainstream media” of spreading “fake news” and distorting information about his administration.
These presidential attacks do not seem to be undermining press freedom in the U.S. American journalists continue to scrutinize Trump’s every action and tweet without hesitation, serving as an effective watchdog of government and society.