By now, you’ve probably seen the clip.
At Donald Trump’s news conference Wednesday, the President-elect denied CNN reporter Jim Acosta the chance to ask him a question.
Trump called Acosta’s network “terrible” before uttering the following words: “I’m not going to give you a question. You are fake news.”
Now, obviously it’s unrealistic to allow every journalist in the room to ask a question, and by no means does Trump have to respond to Acosta or anyone else’s inquiries, but there is a scary point to be made.
Attacking members of the press in the way Trump did — and has done before — fosters an environment that hinders reporters from doing their jobs.
How do you ask an elected official as powerful as Trump a question about Russian hacking if you know there’s a chance he might attack your credibility?
It’s a problem that compromises transparency and ultimately influences the opinions of the general population.
And it’s not just in politics.
It’s in sports, too.
Florida coach Jim McElwain is often quick to quip at reporters, using mostly sarcasm in his snarky responses.
Sometimes it’s justified.
Sometimes it’s not.
And I doubt he ever intends any harm by it.
After Florida’s season-opening win over UMass this past season, McElwain called out a reporter who asked about UF’s seemingly high amount of pass plays. The second-year coach asked the reporter for the exact number of passing and rushing plays, to which the reporter didn’t have an answer.
McElwain could’ve just answered the question instead.
And following a 31-13 loss to Florida State, McElwain again found himself taking exception to a question, this one a reasonable follow-up to a response he gave seconds before.
Let me stop for a moment.
I am by no means saying McElwain is anywhere near Trump’s degree of disrespect toward the media, and McElwain certainly has a right to challenge a reporter when justified, but what those types of replies create is a sense of tension and uneasiness in the room.
No one wants to follow a heated exchange with a query of their own.
Yeah, I get it. Emotions run high after games, especially losses.
That’s fine.
That’s sports.
But there has to be a level of respect maintained between both the reporter and the subject, whether it be a POTUS or college football coach.
Something to keep in mind, McElwain.
Patrick is the online sports editor at the Alligator. His column appears on Thursdays. Contact him at ppinak@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @pinakk12.
Coach Jim McElwain speaks during a press conference on Aug. 3.
