Journalists Face Backlash When Seeking Comments from Trump Administration Officials
The Trump administration has once again proven its disdain for the press, this time by accusing a group of journalists at ProPublica of stalking.
Last summer, reporters from ProPublica's Midwest team, including Megan O'Matz, began reaching out to officials within the Department of Education in an effort to gather information and comments for a story about the agency's "final mission." The mission was reportedly part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to undermine public education.
The journalists contacted top officials, including Lindsey Burke, deputy chief of staff for policy and programs, and Meg Kilgannon, director of strategic partnerships. However, they were met with hostility and aggression from department spokesperson Madison Biedermann.
According to reports, when O'Matz first reached out to the press office in August, Biedermann told her to direct all media inquiries to a specific email address. When O'Matz followed up with more detailed questions, she was met with silence, except for one response from Kilgannon, who simply stated that she had no comment.
When O'Matz continued to pursue the story, including reaching out to Burke's husband on his personal cell phone, Biedermann accused her of sending "inappropriate" and "unprofessional" emails. The spokesperson claimed that journalists were not entitled to a response from public figures or their representatives.
The situation was eerily reminiscent of similar cases in which Trump officials have tried to silence reporters. In one instance, the VA Secretary accused a ProPublica reporter of trying to "stalk" an employee after he had visited the person's home as part of his reporting.
It is worth noting that federal employees have a First Amendment right to talk to the press, and courts have ruled against policies preventing it. The Trump administration has repeatedly attacked the media, labeling them "fake news," but it seems that some officials are using this rhetoric to justify their own aggressive behavior towards reporters.
As journalists continue to push for transparency and accountability from public figures, it is essential to remember the importance of fair and accurate reporting. The story about the Department of Education highlights the challenges faced by journalists in seeking comments from administration officials who often use intimidation tactics to silence them.
In a statement, ProPublica defended its approach, saying that it was a "common practice" for journalists to reach out to sources and that they had followed standard protocols to ensure fairness and accuracy. The report concluded with a message of commitment to telling stories of public interest and offering subjects an opportunity to comment.
It is clear that the relationship between the press and the Trump administration has become increasingly contentious, and it will be crucial for journalists to continue pushing for transparency and accountability in the face of hostility and intimidation tactics.
The Trump administration has once again proven its disdain for the press, this time by accusing a group of journalists at ProPublica of stalking.
Last summer, reporters from ProPublica's Midwest team, including Megan O'Matz, began reaching out to officials within the Department of Education in an effort to gather information and comments for a story about the agency's "final mission." The mission was reportedly part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to undermine public education.
The journalists contacted top officials, including Lindsey Burke, deputy chief of staff for policy and programs, and Meg Kilgannon, director of strategic partnerships. However, they were met with hostility and aggression from department spokesperson Madison Biedermann.
According to reports, when O'Matz first reached out to the press office in August, Biedermann told her to direct all media inquiries to a specific email address. When O'Matz followed up with more detailed questions, she was met with silence, except for one response from Kilgannon, who simply stated that she had no comment.
When O'Matz continued to pursue the story, including reaching out to Burke's husband on his personal cell phone, Biedermann accused her of sending "inappropriate" and "unprofessional" emails. The spokesperson claimed that journalists were not entitled to a response from public figures or their representatives.
The situation was eerily reminiscent of similar cases in which Trump officials have tried to silence reporters. In one instance, the VA Secretary accused a ProPublica reporter of trying to "stalk" an employee after he had visited the person's home as part of his reporting.
It is worth noting that federal employees have a First Amendment right to talk to the press, and courts have ruled against policies preventing it. The Trump administration has repeatedly attacked the media, labeling them "fake news," but it seems that some officials are using this rhetoric to justify their own aggressive behavior towards reporters.
As journalists continue to push for transparency and accountability from public figures, it is essential to remember the importance of fair and accurate reporting. The story about the Department of Education highlights the challenges faced by journalists in seeking comments from administration officials who often use intimidation tactics to silence them.
In a statement, ProPublica defended its approach, saying that it was a "common practice" for journalists to reach out to sources and that they had followed standard protocols to ensure fairness and accuracy. The report concluded with a message of commitment to telling stories of public interest and offering subjects an opportunity to comment.
It is clear that the relationship between the press and the Trump administration has become increasingly contentious, and it will be crucial for journalists to continue pushing for transparency and accountability in the face of hostility and intimidation tactics.
I mean, can you believe this? The Trump admin is at it again, silencing journalists left and right. It's like they think they're above the law or something 
. Newsflash: just because you're a public figure doesn't mean you get to dictate how people report on you.
. We don't need more fancy gadgets or social media platforms to tell us what's going on in this world. Sometimes, the old ways are still the best way to do things. And besides, if journalists can't even get a straight answer from public officials without being threatened or stalked, that's not the press's fault 
.
. If we don't hold our leaders accountable for their actions, who will? The fact that courts have ruled against policies preventing journalists from talking to the press is just a reminder of how far we've come in terms of protecting freedom of the press 
.
. In my opinion, it's just a bunch of noise, and most people are too busy scrolling through their feeds to actually engage with the world around them 
. Give me a good ol' fashioned newspaper any day 
.
they're literally trying to silence journalists who r just doing their job! 
it's like they think the press r above the law or something... newsflash: we're not, but we should be protected from this kinda harassment. 
and btw federal employees have 1st amendment rights to talk to the press so what's up with all these aggressive policies? 
The way this story goes down just shows how desperate the Trump admin is to keep its agenda under wraps... Like, what's the big deal about some reporters asking for comments? It's not like they're trying to get sensitive info out of them or anything. I mean, if officials are going to make it hard for journalists to get a straight answer, that just makes their stories more credible and newsworthy in the eyes of readers. And honestly, when you see someone accusing journalists of stalking because they asked too many questions... 
That's just ridiculous. It's like they're afraid of being held accountable for whatever shady dealings are going on in that department. Anyway, I think ProPublica handled this one pretty well by sticking to their guns and refusing to back down. It's all about getting the facts out there and holding people in power accountable... 
This whole thing with ProPublica journalists and the Department of Education is just another example of how hard it's becoming to get straight answers from the Trump administration 
.
. The Trump administration just doesn't want anyone to ask them any hard questions, so they resort to aggression and hostility 
. But we can't let that happen 
. It's not like they're asking for special treatment or favors; they just want to get some information out there 
. So, let's keep pushing for transparency and accountability from our public figures 
.
. I'm so tired of the media being bullied by Trump officials... it's just not right 
. And to top it off, they actually tried to intimidate one of the journalists by contacting her husband 
"]
This is getting outta hand. When are we gonna draw a line? Reporters are just trying to do their job and get info. They're not trying to be "invasive" or "stalk" people's personal lives, they just wanna get the truth out there. And what's with all these officials thinking they can intimidate them? It's like, you gotta respect the First Amendment, dude! 
I'm low-key impressed by how much traction ProPublica's story got 
US ranks 46th in global press freedom index 
, and it's been declining since Trump took office 
. According to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, there were 245 journalists killed worldwide in 2022 alone 
. That's more than double the average annual number of journalist fatalities between 2010-2019 
. Meanwhile, their approval ratings among Americans?