The executive editor of The New York Times is “deeply concerned” by President Donald Trump’s treatment of the news media, he told CNN, adding that Trump’s approach jeopardizes the safety of journalists across the world.
Dean Baquet, in an interview with CNN’s David Axelrod, discussed Trump’s comments at a June 25 rally in West Columbia, South Carolina, at which the President again characterized journalists as “the enemy of the people.”
“The President has sent a message to despots abroad that you can disrespect the press,” Baquet told Axelrod for an episode of “The Axe Files” that airs Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
In developing countries, Times journalists long have been considered the enemy and consistently work under the threat of attack from authorities, he said.
Trump’s comments leave them more vulnerable than ever, Baquet said.1
“How can my correspondent in Cairo, who covers a government that’s often antagonistic to the press, how can he make the case for the First Amendment and the power of the press and for covering that government independently when we have a president of the United States who says the things he says about the press?” Baquet told Axelrod.
“I can’t tell you how concerning it is that this president … essentially told those governments you can beat up the press, you can call them ‘enemies of the people,’” he added.