WASHINGTON, SEPT 22 (AFP/APP/DNA):When US President Donald Trump berated an Australian reporter for asking an unpleasant question, his colleagues took that as a warning.
With the administration planning to slash correspondent visas and issuing not-so-veiled warnings, foreign journalists find themselves under pressure in the United States.
Earlier this week, a journalist from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation asked Trump about his business dealings while in office. Trump was visibly irritated.
“In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now, and they want to get along with me,” Trump told the reporter, John Lyons. “Your leader is coming over to see me very soon. I’m gonna tell him about you. You set a very bad tone.”
The exchange was widely discussed in Washington media circles.
One foreign correspondent, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Trump’s hostility toward the media was not directed solely at foreigners.
“When Trump insults a journalist, it doesn’t matter to him whether it’s a foreigner or not,” the correspondent said.
What worries the reporter even more is the administration’s plan to reduce journalists’ visas to a renewable 240-day period, down from five years — or just 90 days for Chinese media workers.
“How am I supposed to rent a flat? To get a driver’s license? To put my kids in school with a 240-day visa?” the correspondent wondered, adding that it takes time to build a network of sources in the country.
“It’s going to be a nightmare.”
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