Trump Campaign Revokes Post Press Credentials

In a Facebook post Monday, GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump slammed TheWashington Post and "revoked" its credentials to cover his campaign events.

"Based on the incredibly inaccurate coverage and reporting of the record setting Trump campaign, we are hereby revoking the press credentials of the phony and dishonest Washington Post," said Trump, and: "I am no fan of President Obama, but to show you how dishonest the phony Washington Post is, they wrote," Donald Trump claims, "'President Obama was involved with Orlando shooting' as their headline. Sad!"

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The reference was to a story on the Post web site Monday headlined: “Donald Trump seems to connect President Obama to Orlando shooting.” The paper quoted Trump from a Fox interview in which the candidate said about Obama and radical Islamic terrorism: "Look, we're led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he's got something else in mind." Later, he added: ""He doesn't get it or he gets it better than anybody understands — it's one or the other, and either one is unacceptable."

Post executive editor Marty Baron responded to Trump's action: “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 organization is banished. The Post will continue to cover Donald Trump as it has all along--honorably, honestly, accurately, energetically and unflinchingly. We’re proud of our coverage, and we’re going to keep at it.”

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The Post pointed out that Trump has also in the past revoked the credentials of Buzzfeed, Politico, and Univision, among others.

Trump has not been shy about attacking the press when he thinks they are being unfair, a criticism he has leveled repeatedly.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.