The controversial Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday that he is “revoking” the Washington Post’s media access to his campaign events, accusing the newspaper of being “phony and dishonest.”
In the latest battle with the American media, the business tycoon took to his Facebook page to declare that he was revoking the press credentials of the newspaper based on their “incredibly inaccurate coverage” of his campaign.
Trump was apparently furious about a headline in the newspaper after his comments about the Orlando shooting. The original headline seemed to suggest Trump had accused President Obama of the attacks. The paper later tweaked it, though they denied that the Trump campaign had anything to do with it, reported CNN Money.
This is not Trump’s first conflict with media outlets in the US. According to CNN, Trump’s campaign has boycotted BuzzFeed, Politico, The Daily Beast and The Huffington Post in the recent months.
Donald Trump’s decision to revoke The Washington Post’s press credentials is nothing less than a repudiation of the role of a free and independent press. When coverage doesn’t correspond to what the candidate wants it to be, then a news organisation is banished. The Post will continue to cover Donald Trump as it has all along. We’re proud of our coverage, and we’re going to keep at it.Marty Baron, Executive Editor, The Washington Post
Other reporters of the paper also took to Twitter to call out the Trump campaign actions.
The Washington Post was one of the first to point out irregularities in Trump’s electoral promises, questioning if the money supposedly raised for veterans had been channeled to the concerned organisations.
It also decided to carry out a full-fledged investigation of his personal life once he was declared the Republican nominee, something the business tycoon was not thrilled about.
Though reporters who have been denied access could attend campaign events as general public, complete access may be denied, said CNN.
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