🔗 Share this article Trump's Casual Remarks regarding Journalist's Murder Represents a Disturbing Development. “Stuff occurs.” Just two words. That was enough for Donald Trump to effectively dismiss what is probably the most infamous murder of a reporter of the past ten years – and in so doing plumbed a new low in his contempt for the press, for the media – and for the truth. The Context The American leader’s dismissive attitude of the murder of well-known reporter the Washington Post columnist came during a press conference with the Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman – a man whom the US intelligence concluded in a 2021 report had ordered the abduction and murder of the journalist in that year. (The crown prince has denied involvement.) The American spy agencies were not the sole entities to conclude the murder – which took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and in which the 59-year-old Khashoggi was sedated and dismembered – was approved at the top echelons. An inquiry led by then UN special rapporteur, Agnès Callamard, reached similar conclusions. Global Reactions For a short time, nations were in agreement in their condemnation of the kingdom’s conduct. The United States imposed penalties and travel restrictions in that year over the murder, although it stopped short of penalizing the crown prince himself. Since then, the kingdom has been gradually restoring itself – and the leader’s trip to Washington seemed to be the final confirmation of that redemption. Presidential Comments Critics of the regime had strongly criticized the visit. But what was on display at the White House was more alarming than could have been anticipated. Not only did Trump honor Prince Mohammed but he seemed to alter history – and then blamed the deceased. The crown prince, Trump asserted when asked, was unaware about the killing – in clear opposition to what his nation’s spy agencies determined four years ago. Moreover, Trump said: “A lot of people disliked that gentleman that you’re talking about, whether you like him or disapproved, incidents occur.” Pattern of Behavior This represents a new and abject low for a leader who has made little secret of his contempt for the facts – or for the media. He has defamed journalists (he called a news network, whose reporter asked the question about the journalist at the Saudi press conference “fake news”), scolded them in open settings (he called one a “rude name” this week for asking about his relationship with the convicted sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein), taken legal action against media organizations for large amounts of money in frivolous cases, and called for media groups he disapproves of to lose their licenses. He has pressured established media out of the official briefing group for refusing to use language of his choosing, and he has gutted funding for essential public media at domestically and vital independent media internationally. Broader Implications All of that has fostered an environment in which journalists are clearly more vulnerable in the United States, but one in which their targeting – and indeed murder – becomes not just insignificant (“things happen”) but acceptable (“a lot of people disliked that person”). It is unsurprising that that year was the deadliest year on file for journalists in the more than 30 years the press freedom organization has been tracking this data: a ongoing neglect to hold those responsible for journalist killings has established a culture of impunity in which those who murder reporters are literally able to escape punishment and so persist in these actions. In no place is this clearer than in the Middle Eastern nation, which is accountable for the deaths of more than 200 journalists in the past two years. Effect on Society The effect on the public is profound. Attacks on journalists are attacks on the truth. They are undermining of reality. They are violations of our entitlement to information and on our liberty to live freely and securely. On Thursday, the Committee to Protect Journalists gathers for its annual global journalism honors. My message at the event is the same as my message for the president: these things may occur. But it is our duty to make sure they do not.