US President Donald Trump's dismissive response to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent journalist, marked a new low in his contempt for journalists and the truth. At a press conference with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump simply shrugged off the murder, saying "things happen," effectively rewriting history and blaming the victim.
The CIA had previously concluded that Prince Mohammed was involved in Khashoggi's kidnap and killing in 2018. The UN special rapporteur's investigation also reached similar conclusions. However, Trump's remarks suggested a complete disregard for these findings, and instead, he implicated those who might have disliked Khashoggi.
This behavior is characteristic of Trump's well-documented disdain for the press and journalism. He has smeared journalists, berated them in public, sued news outlets, and even called for their licenses to be revoked. He has also forced veteran news services out of the White House press pool and gutted funding for essential public media.
The consequences of this are stark. Journalists are becoming increasingly vulnerable in the US, and their targeting - including killing - is being normalized. The 2024 year was the deadliest on record for journalists, with more than 200 killed by Israel over the past two years.
Attacks on journalists are attacks on the truth, facts, and our rights to know and live freely. It's imperative that we hold those responsible accountable and ensure that such atrocities do not happen again. The Committee to Protect Journalists' annual International Press Freedom awards will highlight this issue, and it's essential that we make sure these events do not become normalized.
As CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, I urge everyone to take responsibility for ensuring journalists are protected. We must stand together against those who seek to silence us.
The CIA had previously concluded that Prince Mohammed was involved in Khashoggi's kidnap and killing in 2018. The UN special rapporteur's investigation also reached similar conclusions. However, Trump's remarks suggested a complete disregard for these findings, and instead, he implicated those who might have disliked Khashoggi.
This behavior is characteristic of Trump's well-documented disdain for the press and journalism. He has smeared journalists, berated them in public, sued news outlets, and even called for their licenses to be revoked. He has also forced veteran news services out of the White House press pool and gutted funding for essential public media.
The consequences of this are stark. Journalists are becoming increasingly vulnerable in the US, and their targeting - including killing - is being normalized. The 2024 year was the deadliest on record for journalists, with more than 200 killed by Israel over the past two years.
Attacks on journalists are attacks on the truth, facts, and our rights to know and live freely. It's imperative that we hold those responsible accountable and ensure that such atrocities do not happen again. The Committee to Protect Journalists' annual International Press Freedom awards will highlight this issue, and it's essential that we make sure these events do not become normalized.
As CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, I urge everyone to take responsibility for ensuring journalists are protected. We must stand together against those who seek to silence us.
. Trump basically saying Jamal Khashoggi's murder was no big deal... like he wasn't even a journalist 
. It's disgusting that he's been so hostile to the press from day one. I mean, what's next? Are we gonna start ignoring all the other bad stuff that happens too? The CIA and UN special rapporteur both said Prince Mohammed was involved in Khashoggi's death... why is Trump just going to ignore that? 
It's like he thinks journalists are somehow asking for it or something. Newsflash: they're not! They're just trying to do their job 
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. He's basically saying that journalists don't matter and that it's okay for people to get hurt or killed just because they're reporting the truth. It's a really bad precedent to set, especially when we know that there are credible sources like the CIA and UN special rapporteur who have concluded that Prince Mohammed was definitely involved in Khashoggi's murder.
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. The CPJ awards are a great way to raise awareness about this issue and we should all be supporting them 
. Journalists risk their lives every day to tell us the truth, and we owe it to them to protect them 
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like, he's literally disrespecting the dead guy and basically saying it's nobody's fault 
meanwhile journalists are already dying left & right 
and these attacks aren't even being taken seriously 
gotta stand up for our press ppl, they deserve so much better 
Journalists are already under enough pressure - this is just adding fuel to the fire. I'm so sick of Trump and his constant disregard for truth and facts 
its like the cat is trying to be a rockstar lol. anyway, back to this khashoggi thing... did you know that saudi arabia has some of the worst human rights record in the world? it's like they're not even trying to hide it anymore 
i mean, trump can say whatever he wants but come on, man! 
. It's not just about Khashoggi's death; it's about the message Trump is sending to the world: journalists aren't safe & can be silenced whenever they say something he doesn't want to hear 
. We need to stand up for our right to know what's going on in this country and hold people like Trump accountable 
, and its heartbreaking that ppl r getting killed 4 doing their job its soooo messed up. gotta keep shoutin out 2 the journalists & fact-checkers who r tryin 2 hold ppl in power accountable 
and if you're gonna keep raking in that dough from saudi arabia then youre basically saying youre okay with people getting murdered over their opinions 
he has no problem throwing around lawsuits and public shaming to silence anyone who gets in his way... meanwhile the rest of us are just over here trying to get our news on without being threatened by some angry tweet 
that's crazy!
it's sickening to see someone so dismissive of human life and freedom. The fact that the CIA already knew Prince Mohammed was involved in Khashoggi's murder and Trump still didn't care is just disgusting 
. It's like he thinks we live in some alternate universe where murder is just a minor inconvenience 
. But this takes it to a whole new level. Journalists are being killed left and right, and still, we don't see any real consequences from Trump's crew 
. The Committee to Protect Journalists is doing some amazing work, but I think we all need to do our part to make sure the truth comes out and those responsible are held accountable 
. We can't let Trump's toxic behavior become normalized 
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. it was so cool but also kinda annoying because my fave food vendor was getting blocked by the drones all the time . anyway, back to trump... have you seen that video of him trying to eat that pizza slice? lol what's up with his hands, dude? always in a fist 
. We need to stand together and demand that our leaders protect us, not silence us 
. The fact that Khashoggi's killing has been normalized is just terrifying 