New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger met with President Trump recently to discuss his anti-journalist rants according to CBS News .
Sulzberger assumed the role of a publisher on January 1 this year after his father stepped down.
The president went on Twitter Sunday to express his thoughts on the pow-wow, referring to it as “good” and “interesting” as well as citing the “vast amounts” of what he calls “fake news.”
Sulzberger released a statement explaining that these meetings are standard, but Trump’s camp had requested that it be off the record.
“There has been a long tradition of New York Times publishers holding such meetings with presidents and other public figures who have concerns about coverage,” he wrote.
Sulzberger also initiated the meeting over concerns about Trump’s “anti-press rhetoric” and “increasingly dangerous” language on Twitter.
“I told him that although the phrase ‘fake news’ is untrue and harmful, I am far more concerned about his labeling journalists ‘the enemy of the people.’ I warned that this inflammatory language is contributing to a rise in threats against journalists and will lead to violence,” he added.
The NYT publisher went on to detail how the rhetoric is “being used by some regimes to justify sweeping crackdowns on journalists” and is “putting lives at risk.” Sulzberger notes that his language is “eroding one of our country’s greatest exports: a commitment to free speech and a free press.”
The Trump administration also recently came under fire for barring CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins from an open press event at the Rose Garden Wednesday afternoon. The White House’s reasoning was that she had “shouted questions” during a photo-op at the Oval Office, the Inquisitr reports.
Even CNN competitor Fox News stood in “strong solidarity” with Collins and cited that journalists should have full access as part of “a free and unfettered press.”
According to Collins, she was brought to Bill Shine’s office after the photo-op and told that her questions were “inappropriate.” Shine is the former executive at Fox News and was recently brought on as deputy chief of staff for communications at the White House.
White House Correspondents’ Association President, Oliver Knox, later blasted the decision, calling it “wrong-headed” and “weak.”
He said that when reporters question government officials in power it holds them accountable.
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement accusing Collins of “shouting questions” later the day, but said that other CNN reporters would have been allowed access to the event.
The White House has since released a statement defending their decision to ban Collins from the Rose Garden.