Donald Trump may be fighting off the coronavirus, but it’s the media we should worry about. Because some journalists would have you believe they’re in more danger than the president.
It's not every day that the president of the United States and members of his staff contract an illness that has caused a global pandemic. Honestly, I don't think I would like to live in a world where this was a normal thing. But even as there are concerns for President Trump and his colleagues, we must take a moment to consider those who are truly affected most by this.
Journalists.
Yes, that’s right, journalists. Those brave souls who go to the White House to badger the press secretary with inane questions. Those true modern warriors who are looking for the next headline, whether it's truthful or not. Those people who are truly putting it all on the line as they sit in a room with air-conditioning and free coffee. Forget the soldiers, missionaries or members of Doctors without Borders, journalists are the true heroes.
So when CBS White House correspondent Ben Tracy says that reporting in the White House is comparable to North Korea, you should absolutely take him seriously.
Never mind that the US does not have a three-generation rule that guarantees that family members pay for the crimes of their ancestors. Never mind that the US does not have secretive penal camps that work its citizens to death. And certainly do not acknowledge North Korea’s culture, which can best be described as a frightening impression of George Orwell's 1984.
No, no, no! If Tracy says that he would feel safer in North Korea, you should take him seriously. This certainly is not an absolute joke of a statement that couldn’t be more hyperbolic if it was written by George RR Martin.
Then we have CNN's Jim Acosta. For those who do not know Jim, when he’s not reporting on what’s going on at the White House, you can find him standing in front of a mirror saying to himself, ‘I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and gosh darn it I like me,’ ad nauseum.
After the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, was also diagnosed with Covid-19, Acosta’s mind could only go to the most important person in the situation, himself. The first thing that he noted was that the press secretary was not wearing a mask.
How dare she! Never mind whether or not Acosta was actually wearing one. You cannot get in the way of Jim Acosta playing victim! It's his specialty after all.
With the heart of a lion, the CNN reporter bravely creeped around the now empty press area at the White House. He remarked that there was no one about as he bravely resisted the temptation to steal a bag of M&M’s off someone’s desk.
Never mind that most of the country has had to work remotely for months on end. Acosta does not waste his time with the thoughts of normal, mortal men and their issues. His main concern is that of all journalists in the modern day. He must make the story about himself.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is imperative that in these trying times we must consider the journalists. Those brave individuals who are regularly compared to those who stormed the beaches of Normandy (by other journalists, at least). Clearly, these are special souls… although the definition of the word ‘special’ is up for the interpretation of the reader.
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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.