December 17, 2022
Journalist Harassment at the White House
By: Anthony Harper, PhD
Journalist harassment at the White House is a growing problem, especially conservative news outlets for the most part.Chronology of harassment
One conservative news outlet reporter was harassed by Gray Television White House Correspondent Jon Decker December 12, 2022 with vulgarity and mocking the reporter’s educational background in front of other reporters in the White House press room.
On another occasion, a conservative news outlet reporter was harassed by Jon Decker regarding Covid virus for not wearing a mask when he wasn’t wearing a mask November 28, 2022.
While in the bathroom at the White House December 7, 2021 a conservative news outlet reporter overheard journalist Jon Decker say while he was in the bathroom of the press break room say “I’m not going into that bathroom with that unvaccinated person.”
Ethical complaints were filed against Mr. Decker December 15, 2022 with Gray Television as well as the White House press office and White House Correspondent Association leadership.
On another occasion September 21, 2021, Salon reporter Zachary Petrizzo harassed a conservative news outlet reporter in their news report titled ‘Eccentric Christian reporter causing headaches for Jen Psaki, White House press corps.’
Also in September of 2021, an LGBTQ news web site echoed Salon’s article by mocking a conservative news outlet reporter.
On another occasion, White House Correspondent Brian Karem harassed a conservative news outlet reporter December 7, 2021 in the White House press room obsessively yelling 12 times “Get Vaccinated!” (transcript is below of that exchange):
Brian Karem-
Six feet. You’re not vaxxed. I love you but….
Reporter-
I feel like I need to have a Yellow star on.
Brian Karem-
No. That would equate this with the Holocaust. I’m asking you to treat everybody sensibly, not burn them or put them in an oven.
That’s a crazy analogy, you shouldn’t adopt that, you’re better than that.
Reporter – Should vaccinated people be tested [for Covid]?
Brian Karem- Everyone can still get it. I don’t want to pass it to anyone else. Don’t mince or parse words here. You know damm well that anyone can still get it.
Reporter- ….A lot of Christians in America know what is going on here.
Brian Karem- I’m a Christian in America. Don’t preach to me. Get vaccinated.
Tim Garrity, an ABC News cameraman also harassed a conservative news outlet reporter mocking his faith October 22, 2021 by saying to him, “You’re not vaccinated and claim to be a man of God and put everyone’s health here at risk by not being vaccinated.”
An NBC online news article February 12, 2021 addressed still another case of harassment but in this situation, it was a White House press staff member harassing of the left leaning news outlet ‘Politico’ and their reporter by stating, “White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo was suspended for one week without pay on Friday, the administration said, after a report surfaced detailing allegations that he verbally harassed and threatened a female reporter from Politico in January.”
Finally, on March 10, 2017 a conservative news outlet Gateway Pundit reporter was also harassed in the White House briefing room as reported in a Washington Times news article titled “Jon Decker of Fox News radio, Gateway Pundit reporter clash in White House briefing room.”
This is but a brief review of harassment of reporters at the White House that warrants much more investigation.
Note: The writer is the White House Correspondent for the InterMountain Christian News and Israel news service ‘Newsrael.’ For more information about these incidents, click here.
