Confrontation needs context, balance

There were two sides to a confrontation that nearly got physical in the White House Rose Garden on Thursday. Big media almost ignored one side.

The reporting of this incident, to me, is more evidence that mainstream media should do more to curb their self-righteousness, even if press freedom is under a historic level of threat under President Donald Trump.

The mainstream media reported that on Thursday in the Rose Garden a right-wing radio personality named Sebastian Gorka strode over to Playboy reporter Brian Karem and, with video cameras humming, called the Playboy reporter a “punk,” not a journalist.

Few have reported that Karem was the provocateur.

The fullest account I have read was published on a conservative website called PJ Media.

Here’s how PJ Media described the confrontation:

Many of the guests at the president’s announcement on the census citizenship question were conservative activists who had attended the White House Social Media Summit beforehand. (Conservative social media representatives were separately placed in preferred seating, my note.)

Karem and other reporters were shouting questions as Trump left the event.

“Don’t be sad,” a guest shouted to Karem.

In response, Karem said the attendees were a group of people “eager for demonic possession.”

Gorka heard Karem’s comment and responded, saying, “And you’re a journalist, right?”

Karem replied, “Come over here and talk to me brother, we can go outside and have a long conversation.”

(My note: this is where the video clips start.)

“You’re threatening me in the Rose Garden?” Gorka replied. “You’re a punk. You’re not a journalist. You’re a punk.”

(This is where the video clips end.)

Karem responded, “Go home. Hey, Gorka, get a job.”

As guests and the media left the Rose Garden, Karem attempted to shake Gorka’s hand but Gorka told him, “You’re done.”

That gives the confrontation some context and balance. There were two belligerents involved.

Frankly, I’m glad to see a mainstream reporter exhibiting proper outrage at those who feel empowered with an anti-media president to strive for limits on press freedoms.

I would liked to have seen the full account in the New York Times, Washington Post or on the network.

As recently as late May, a Newsweek headline and lead paragraph reported that Principal Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said, “It would be so nice if we had a complicit, compliant media.”

Outrage? Not quite.

Here’s the whole quote, which appears much later in the story: “It would be so nice if we had a complicit, compliant media the way the Democrats do, and we don’t.”

Fully reported, it’s just typical partisan criticism of press coverage, which has never been kind to sitting presidents or their parties.

Again, I warn media colleagues to check our outrage and keep to our self-imposed professional obligation to be dispassionate, disinterested, complete and accurate when reporting even the surrealism of the Trump administration.

Otherwise, we are feeding the forces arrayed against our most basic freedom.

Steve Hansen writes about our life and times from his perspective of a semi-retired Tucumcari journalist. Contact him at:

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