The Society of Professional Journalists says it strongly condemns President Donald Trump’s latest attacks on journalists, including his disparaging treatment of ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce during Monday’s Oval Office press availability, and his recent “Quiet, piggy” insult aimed at Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey. These incidents are not isolated; they are part of an unmistakable pattern of hostility — often directed at women — that undermines the essential role of a free and independent press.
During a press availability with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Bruce asked a direct and necessary question about the 2018 murder of Washington Post Columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Bruce asked, “Your Royal Highness, the U.S. intelligence concluded that you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist. 9/11 families are furious that you are here in the Oval Office. Why should Americans trust you? And the same to you, Mr. President.” Rather than let the Crown Prince answer, the president cut in to belittle the question, dismiss Khashoggi as “not well liked,” and chastise Bruce for “embarrassing our guest.”
“Journalists are not props at a photo op — they are watchdogs for the public,” said SPJ Executive Director Caroline Hendrie. “When reporters ask hard questions about the murder of a fellow journalist, that is not an embarrassment. What’s embarrassing is a leader trying to silence those questions.”
Hendrie noted that Trump’s behaviour toward Bruce comes just days after the president insulted Bloomberg reporter Lucey, responding “Quiet, piggy,” when she pressed him on releasing files related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein — another example of the demeaning language he routinely uses to discredit women doing their jobs.
This isn’t the first time Trump has referred to a female journalist as a pig, either, added SPJ. The president’s attacks on Bruce and Lucey are merely his most recent attempts to undermine female reporters, a pattern of behavior that stretches back to the start of his political career and before it.
The SPJ Code of Ethics calls on journalists to ‘seek truth and report it,’ a principle Bruce upheld by pressing for accountability in a matter involving a colleague who was brutally killed while exercising that very duty, Hendrie said.
“Nobody expects presidents to be reporters’ biggest fans,” Hendrie noted. “But targeting women reporters with humiliating insults should not be tolerated.”
Khashoggi’s murder remains one of the most chilling attacks on press freedom in modern history. Deflecting, minimizing and personally scolding reporters who dare raise the issue sends a dangerous message to governments around the world that violence against journalists is, at worst, negotiable and, at best, forgettable.
“What we say — and what we refuse to say — signals to the world how much we value human rights and free expression,” Hendrie added. “When U.S. leaders downplay the murder of a journalist or shame reporters for demanding transparency, it reverberates far beyond Washington.”
SPJ urges the public to hold all elected officials accountable for their respect — or disregard — for press freedom. Voters should demand transparency, civil dialogue and an unwavering commitment to the safety of journalists worldwide.
“The SPJ Code of Ethics makes clear that journalism exists to serve public interest, not the whims of the powerful,” Hendrie said. “And the First Amendment guarantees journalists the freedom to ask the very questions some leaders would prefer to silence. A free press only survives when citizens insist their leaders engage with journalists honestly, respectfully and without fear of the truth.”
SPJ says it stands in solidarity with the reporters who were demeaned and will be reaching out to express personal support and offer assistance.
“Every attack on a journalist chips away at our democracy,” Hendrie said. “Every time we push back, we strengthen it.”
Keep up-to-date with publishing news: sign up here for InPubWeekly, our free weekly e-newsletter.
