The US State Department, in a release today, seeks to be the sole arbiter of what does or does not qualify as ‘press’ or ‘media’. PJ Crowley believes working toward an open and transparent government constitutes a ‘political agenda’ which thereby disqualifies anyone from being a journalist.
Well, but I mean – let me – he’s not a journalist. He’s not a whistleblower. And there – he is a political actor. He has a political agenda. He is trying to undermine the international system of — that enables us to cooperate and collaborate with other governments and to work in multilateral settings and on a bilateral basis to help solve regional and international issues.
What he’s doing is damaging to our efforts and the efforts of other governments. They are putting at risk our national interest and the interests of other governments around the world. He is not an objective observer of anything. He is an active player. He has an agenda. He’s trying to pursue that agenda, and I don’t think he can – he can’t qualify as either a journalist on the one hand or a whistleblower on the other.
Does have any idea what he just said? Any investigative journalist that uncovers government lies and then reports on it, must have a political agenda and therefore not be a journalist. Every news organization on the planet should be challenging this statement right now.
