“Incidents take place.” Just two words. That was enough for the US president to effectively dismiss what is arguably the most infamous murder of a reporter of the past ten years – and in so doing plumbed a new low in his disregard toward journalists, for journalism – and for the truth.
The American leader’s dismissive attitude of the murder of prominent journalist the Washington Post columnist came during a press conference with the Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman – a man whom the US intelligence found in a recent assessment had orchestrated the kidnap and killing of the Washington Post columnist in that year. (The crown prince has rejected accusations.)
The US intelligence services were not the only ones to determine the murder – which took place in the Saudi diplomatic building in Turkey and in which the late journalist was sedated and dismembered – was approved at the highest levels. An inquiry led by former UN expert, the UN investigator, reached similar conclusions.
For a short time, governments were unified in their condemnation of the kingdom’s conduct. The US enacted penalties and visa bans in 2021 over the murder, although it stopped short of penalizing Prince Mohammed himself. Since then, the nation has been gradually restoring itself – and the leader’s trip to the US capital seemed to be the ultimate sign of that redemption.
Opponents of the regime had strongly criticized the visit. But what was on display at the White House was more alarming than could have been imagined. Not only did Trump fete the Saudi leader but he seemed to alter history – and then pointed fingers at the victim. The crown prince, he claimed when asked, knew nothing about the killing – in direct contradiction to what his nation’s spy agencies concluded previously. Moreover, Trump said: “Many individuals disliked that person that you’re talking about, whether you like him or disapproved, incidents occur.”
This marks a new and abject low for a president who has made little secret of his disdain for the truth – or for the press. Trump has defamed reporters (he called ABC news, whose reporter asked the inquiry about Khashoggi at the media event “fake news”), scolded them in open settings (he called one a “rude name” this week for asking about his relationship with the convicted sex offender financier the convicted criminal), sued media organizations for large amounts of money in vexatious law suits, and called for media groups he disapproves of to be shut down.
He has pressured established media out of the official briefing group for declining to use terminology of his preference, and he has slashed funding for essential public media at home and vital independent media abroad.
All of that has created an environment in which journalists are manifestly less safe in the US, but one in which their victimization – and indeed murder – becomes not just insignificant (“incidents occur”) but acceptable (“a lot of people disliked that person”).
It is unsurprising that that year was the most lethal year on file for the press in the over three decades the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has been documenting this information: a persistent failure to bring to justice those responsible for journalist killings has created a culture of impunity in which those who murder reporters are literally able to get away with murder and so persist in these actions.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Israel, which is responsible for the deaths of more than 200 media workers in the recent period.
The effect on the public is profound. Attacks on journalists are assaults on facts. They are undermining of reality. They are attacks on our entitlement to information and on our freedom to live freely and safely.
On Thursday, CPJ meets for its annual International Press Freedom awards. The statement at the event is the same as my one for Trump: such events may occur. But it is our responsibility to make sure they do not.
A tech enthusiast and gaming aficionado with over a decade of experience in digital media and content creation.
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