Washington: The American Press Corps, White House journalists, in an open letter to President-elect Donald Trump has said that it is the reporters and not him who will set the rules and decide what to serve the readers.
“It is, after all, our airtime and column inches that you are seeking to influence. We, not you, decide how best to serve our readers, listeners, and viewers. So think of what follows as a backgrounder on what to expect from us over the next four years,” said US journalists in the letter published in Columbia Journalism Review, an American magazine for professional journalists published by the Columbia University.
Acknowledging that the American Press Corps and the US President-elect don’t get along well, the letter said: “It will come as no surprise to you that we see the relationship as strained.”
Observing that Trump may not allow journalists access to cover his administration, the letter further states: “We are very good at finding alternative ways to get information… Some of the best reporting during the campaign came from news organisations that were banned from your rallies. Telling reporters that they won’t get access to something isn’t what we’d prefer, but it’s a challenge we relish.”
“You’ve banned news organisations from covering you. You’ve taken to Twitter to taunt and threaten individual reporters and encouraged your supporters to do the same. You’ve advocated for looser libel laws and threatened numerous lawsuits of your own, none of which has materialized,” the letter read.