Accusations of “fake news.” Intimidation. And now mail bombs.
Jim Acosta, CNN’s chief White House correspondent, has covered four presidential elections and now two White House administrations. But this is the first time he says he has felt threatened as a journalist in the United States.
“It does not feel like I am in America anymore,” Acosta told a San Jose audience on Thursday night, just hours after a mail bomb had been sent to the CNN offices. “Nastiness and cruelty seem to have been normalized and sanitized under this administration.”
In response, he said, all those who support democracy and the First Amendment must fight the “toxin” that has spread into U.S. discourse.
Acosta appeared at San Jose State University to accept the 2018 William Randolph Hearst Award for excellence in professional journalism from the university’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications and spoke to students, faculty and community members about his coverage of the Trump administration.
He’d been on a plane to San Jose when the CNN headquarters received a bomb in the form of a mysterious package, as did former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and other high-level Democrats and supporters. “It seems like anyone who has spoken out against the president has received one of these bombs,” Acosta said.
So he decided to change his speech while in the air to focus on his determination — and that of CNN — to continue their crucial reporting.
“The bombs sent to us and to others have put steel in our spines,” Acosta said. “We are going to continue to do our jobs and speak truth to power.”
He said Trump’s anti-journalist rhetoric is to blame for the violence, threats and verbal abuse he and many other journalists have faced.
Acosta discussed specifically his experience covering Trump rallies and how crowds have shouted “CNN sucks” and “fake news” in his direction. One activist made a threatening thumb-across-throat gesture to him. Insulting messages come regularly into his Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts.
The abuse he and his colleagues have faced is the reason Acosta dedicated the award to his team at CNN.
Acosta was honored both by SJSU and the city of San Jose on Thursday night. Mayor Sam Liccardo issued a proclamation to the journalist for his “patient, thoughtful and relentless pursuit of the truth.” SJSU President Mary Papazian said she was honored to have such an “esteemed journalist” as Acosta on campus because of his “persistent efforts to keep [the people] informed.”
However, not everyone views the chief White House correspondent in the same light.
Acosta said he has been criticized by Fox News for making himself and CNN part of the stories. He has also been accused of being an activist more than a journalist, but Acosta said the two can go hand in hand.
“There is nothing wrong, if you are a journalist, to be an advocate for a free press and free speech. That’s a no-brainer, folks,” Acosta said to the crowd.
Earlier in the day, Acosta met with SJSU students and encouraged journalism majors to continue pursuing careers in the field despite the threats. “This is a dangerous time to tell the truth in America, but the truth is bigger than a bully,” Acosta told students.
While Acosta has placed blame on Trump for this “anti-truth climate,” he believes the solution for “preserving the truth” does not lie in the president’s hands.
“The fight for the truth is on. As journalists and citizens we must take a stand, not against the president, but a stand for truth,” Acosta said.
He ended his acceptance speech emphasizing the role of journalists in a democracy — as the audience members rose in a standing ovation.
“Journalists are not the enemy of the people. We are the voice of the people. In a government ‘by the people, for the people’ there is no such thing as the enemy of the people,” Acosta said. “We are all on the same team. We are all Americans.”
