Trump Allies Raising Cash to Expose Controversial Remarks by Journalists
President Trump's political allies reportedly are raising funds to dig up controversial comments by reporters and editors at prominent media outlets.
Axios reports it's seen a fundraising proposal that seeks to raise $2 million for the project.
Trump has a history of discontent toward major media outlets like CNN and the New York Times, saying they create "fake news" designed to disparage his presidency.
....The good news is that we are winning. Our real opponent is not the Democrats, or the dwindling number of Republicans that lost their way and got left behind, our primary opponent is the Fake News Media. In the history of our Country, they have never been so bad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 2, 2019
Meanwhile, a recent New York Times article highlighted a conservative group that's releasing embarrassing statements and social media posts by journalists, including a New York Times editor who posted anti-Semitic tweets in college.
While the Times says the editor's remarks are a violation of standards, it also accuses the group of trying to intimidate the press by seeking to "harass and embarrass anyone affiliated with leading news organizations that are asking tough questions."
One writer at Politico disagrees. Jack Shafer writes, "Journalists don't deserve a get-out-of-bigotry-jail free card just because they're journalists."
Dan Gainor of the Media Research Center told CBN News that some journalists seem to believe the First Amendment is only for them.
"The Constitution, last time I checked, belongs to all of us," Gainor said. "That means freedom of the press belongs to each one of us, freedom of speech belongs to each one of us, so if you say or do really embarrassing things don't be surprised if someone goes and looks at your Twitter feed and says, 'Hey, I saw where you did this thing'."
CBN News previously reported President Trump signaling that social media giants that engage in biased activities, like censoring conservatives, should also brace themselves for tough actions from his administration.
Axios points out that targeting media isn't new and that the liberal group "Media Matters" already does it, monitoring conservative news outlets for bias.
