NYT’s Kristof Blames Trump for Khashoggi Killing: When He Calls the Press Fake News, Dictators Take It Further

‘You see dictators from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines to Cambodia adopt that same rhetoric and take it somewhat further’

EXCERPT:

KRISTOF: "I think we have our fingerprints on this in a few different ways. One is that Jared Kushner and President Trump essentially picked out the Crown Prince MBS before he was a crown prince and helped elevate him to a role. And I also think there is an argument, maybe not certain, but certainly an argument that when you have an American president denounce the media as fake news, denounce the media as enemies of the people, then allies pay attention. And you see dictators from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines to Cambodia essentially adopt that same rhetoric and take it somewhat further. And it’s sad. I watched American presidents for years uphold global norms about supporting a free press. It’s painful to see an American president erode that norm in ways that can kill people. 44 journalists have died so far this year for their work around the world, substantially more than last year, and rhetoric matters."

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