Journalists took to Twitter Thursday following a deadly shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis to criticize President Trump for his longtime anti-press rhetoric.
“The shooting today in the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland cannot reasonably be separated from the President’s mission to villainize the press as ‘the enemy of the American people,'” tweeted journalist Lauren Duca.
The shooting today in the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland cannot reasonably be separated from the President’s mission to villainize the press as “the enemy of the American people.”
— Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) June 28, 2018
“President Trump, who repeatedly calls the media “the enemy of the people”, is offering his thoughts and prayers to the victims of the shooting at a newspaper office in Annapolis,” I24 News reporter Eylon Levy tweeted.
President Trump, who repeatedly calls the media “the enemy of the people”, is offering his thoughts and prayers to the victims of the shooting at a newspaper office in Annapolis.
— Eylon A. Levy (@EylonALevy) June 28, 2018
“I’m reserving judgment on the #capitalgazette shooting until we know more, but like everyone else, my first thought was: this is what Trump has been building up to since the election and there’s more where it came from. My thoughts are with every reporter and journalist I know.”
I’m reserving judgment on the #capitalgazette shooting until we know more, but like everyone else, my first thought was: this is what Trump has been building up to since the election and there’s more where it came from. My thoughts are with every reporter and journalist I know.
— Rasmus Rasmussen (@theprint) June 28, 2018
“Journalism has never been this needed and it’s never been so threatened. Attacks on journalists from every angle: from Trump rallies to the ICE protest in PDX. And now a shooting at @capitalgazette Don’t let up Journalists. Keep doing your jobs,” Angelica Thornton, KATU-TV anchor wrote.
Journalism has never been this needed and it’s never been so threatened. Attacks on journalists from every angle: from Trump rallies to the ICE protest in PDX. And now a shooting at @capitalgazette Don’t let up Journalists. Keep doing your jobs https://t.co/xKUcTh4taB
— Angelica Thornton (@AngelicaKATU) June 28, 2018
One Newsweek correspondent also noted that Milo Yiannopoulos, a longtime Trump supporter, said he could not “wait for the vigilante squads to start gunning journalists down on sight” on Wednesday.
[Related: Milo Yiannopoulos walks back call for violence against journalists, says he was ‘trolling’]
Right. But big Trump-Bannon-Miller booster called for shooting journos just two days ago.
— Jeff Stein (@SpyTalker) June 28, 2018
“That Maryland newspaper shooting… Trump’s going to say something along the lines of ‘Well, fake news has consequences,’ isn’t he?” freelance journalist David Whitley said.
That Maryland newspaper shooting… Trump’s going to say something along the lines of “Well, fake news has consequences,” isn’t he?
— David Whitley (@mrdavidwhitley) June 28, 2018
A Washington Post columnist also tweeted, making the point that violence towards journalists is prevalent, but not unique under the Trump administration.
“We should wait for the facts about this horrific shooting in Maryland. My point is that violence against journalists—and incitement to violence against journalists—isn’t an isolated incident under Trump. (Also, recall that 81 journalists were killed across the world last year),” Brian Klass wrote.
We should wait for the facts about this horrific shooting in Maryland. My point is that violence against journalists—and incitement to violence against journalists—isn’t an isolated incident under Trump. (Also, recall that 81 journalists were killed across the world last year).
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) June 28, 2018
