Ateba shared a letter on Twitter that he received from the White House and the press secretary's office, stating that he had "impeded a June 26, 2023, press briefing and interrupted the Press Secretary." The post quickly gained traction online, garnering over 670,000 views on Twitter alone.
The letter came after a heated clash between White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Ateba. While Jean-Pierre claimed that the Biden administration was "committed to the freedom of the press," Ateba accused her of discriminating against him during question and answer sessions. In June, Ateba confronted Jean-Pierre, stating, "So are you going to take questions from me?... because you've been discriminating against me for the past nine months." Jean-Pierre responded by calling him "incredibly rude" and threatened to end the press briefing if he continued to interrupt, even before other reporters had the chance to ask their questions.
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The White House acknowledged in the letter that exchanges between the press and the White House can sometimes become rowdy. However, they argued that Ateba's interruptions were different because they prevented other journalists from asking questions and administration officials from responding. The White House stated that the only option in response to such disruptions is to stop the briefing or event, which is detrimental to all journalists.
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Ateba expressed concern that the revocation of his press privileges, known as a "hard pass," would hinder his ability to fulfill his responsibilities as a journalist and impede the public's right to access reliable information. He claimed that shouting his questions was a last resort, as Jean-Pierre had not called on him for the past nine months. Ateba also highlighted that his emails go unanswered, and he has been restricted from attending nearly all of President Joe Biden's events, including press conferences.
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This is not the first time reporters have been accused of heckling the press secretary during briefings. In the Trump administration, CNN reporter Jim Acosta famously clashed with former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, frequently interrupting her during question and answer sessions. In September 2020, Acosta argued with McEnany, claiming that then-President Trump said the coronavirus "affects virtually nobody" and accused Trump of not telling the truth about the virus.
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Later that year, McEnany called on the White House Correspondents' Association to investigate Playboy's Brian Karem for repeatedly shouting "demeaning, misogynistic questions" during White House press briefings. McEnany expressed concern about female Republican representatives facing such treatment, stating, "If you're a female woman in the Republican Party who takes that podium, guess what your worry is? Having a Playboy reporter shout questions at you, demeaning, misogynistic questions during a briefing."
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