“Stuff occurs.” A mere phrase. That was enough for Donald Trump to effectively dismiss what is arguably the most infamous journalist killing of the last decade – and in so doing plumbed a new low in his contempt for journalists, for journalism – and for the truth.
The US president’s dismissal of the killing of well-known reporter Jamal Khashoggi came during a media briefing with the Saudi crown prince, MBS – a man whom the US intelligence concluded in a recent assessment had orchestrated the kidnap and killing of the journalist in that year. (The crown prince has rejected accusations.)
The American spy agencies were not the sole entities to conclude the homicide – which occurred in the Saudi diplomatic building in Turkey and in which the late journalist was sedated and cut apart – was approved at the top echelons. An inquiry led by then UN special rapporteur, the UN investigator, reached similar conclusions.
For a brief period, nations were in agreement in their criticism of Saudi Arabia’s actions. The United States imposed penalties and visa bans in 2021 over the murder, although it stopped short of sanctioning the crown prince himself. Since then, the kingdom has been gradually restoring itself – and the leader’s trip to the US capital seemed to be the ultimate sign of that redemption.
Critics of the government had roundly condemned the meeting. But what was evident at the White House was more alarming than could have been anticipated. Not only did the president fete the Saudi leader but he effectively rewrote history – and then pointed fingers at the deceased. Prince Mohammed, he asserted when asked, was unaware about the killing – in clear opposition to what his nation’s spy agencies determined previously. Moreover, the president said: “A lot of people didn’t like that person that you’re talking about, whether you approve of him or didn’t like him, things happen.”
This marks a new and abject low for a leader who has made no attempt to hide of his disdain for the facts – or for the media. He has defamed journalists (he called ABC news, whose journalist asked the inquiry about the journalist at the media event “false information”), berated them in open settings (he called one a “rude name” this week for asking about his relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein), taken legal action against news outlets for large amounts of money in vexatious law suits, and called for news outlets he doesn’t like to be shut down.
He has forced veteran news services out of the official briefing group for refusing to use language of his choosing, and he has gutted funding for essential public media at domestically and crucial free press abroad.
All of that has created an environment in which reporters are clearly more vulnerable in the United States, but one in which their victimization – and indeed killing – becomes not just unimportant (“incidents occur”) but acceptable (“a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman”).
It is unsurprising that that year was the deadliest year on record for journalists in the over three decades the press freedom organization has been tracking this data: a persistent failure to bring to justice those responsible for reporter murders has established a culture of impunity in which journalists’ killers are literally able to escape punishment and so persist in these actions.
In no place is this more evident than in Israel, which is accountable for the killing of over two hundred journalists in the recent period.
The effect on society is deep. Targeting reporters are assaults on facts. They are undermining of reality. They are attacks on our rights to know and on our freedom to live freely and safely.
This week, the Committee to Protect Journalists meets for its yearly global journalism honors. My message there is the same as my message for Trump: these things may happen. But it is our duty to make sure they cease.
A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in online gambling, specializing in slot machine reviews and player strategy.
