Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Denounces News Media, Undermining US Message on Press Freedom

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo escalated his clash with a respected National Public Radio journalist Mary Loui Kelly on Jan 25, lashing out at her and what he called the “unhinged” news media in an extraordinary statement. A day earlier, he abruptly ended an interview with her and delivered what the news outlet described as a profanity-laced rant. The statement, which used the fiery language to attack the news media that has become a trademark of President Donald Trump and his allies, ignited outrage online among foreign policy experts, scholars of diplomacy and press freedom advocates. Sec Pompeo violated the goals and nonpartisan nature of his office, whose core mission is to promote American values worldwide, including freedom of the press, they said.

The interview circulated widely after it was published Jan 24. Describing a tense exchange after a taped part of the interview, Kelly said that Sec Pompeo shouted at her repeatedly using the “f-word” and challenged her to find Ukraine on an unlabeled map that his aides pulled out, which she did. In his statement, released the next morning by the State Department, Sec Pompeo said: “It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency. This is another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this administration.” He added, “It is no wonder that the American people distrust many in the media when they so consistently demonstrate their agenda and their absence of integrity.”