Subscribe for free to the America First Report newsletter.
The Washington Post published an article Saturday ripping Simon Ateba, a black reporter known for his criticisms of the Biden White House’s press customs and its press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre.
Ateba, the subject of the Post’s piece and a reporter for Today News Africa, has frequently accused Jean-Pierre of deliberately not calling on him during White House press briefings since she assumed the position from Jen Psaki in May 2022. Ateba is a consistent challenger of White House narratives, and often engages in arguments with Jean-Pierre when she ignores his questions or does not call on him during briefings.
The Post’s headline reads “Simon Ateba, the reporter making himself the story at the White House,” while the body of the article calls into question Ateba’s motivations for engaging in conflict with White House press officials, trivializing Ateba’s journalistic interests and portraying him as an attention-seeker.
“[I]t’s not really clear what questions Ateba has been seeking to ask,” the article reads. “His serial interruptions typically begin and end with a protest about how the press secretary hasn’t allowed him to ask his question.”
Ateba’s journalism frequently focuses on White House press officials. For instance, in April 2022, Ateba asked then-press secretary Jen Psaki whether Biden blamed her for his low poll numbers.
Ateba directly challenged White House’s vague answers to questions regarding the origins of COVID-19 in November 2022, and he criticized the Biden administration’s “rigged” press conferences when he alleged that Biden’s staffers only call upon a list of previously-vetted reporters for questions during live briefings that same month.
Simon Ateba Dives Into Conflict With Jean-Pierre https://t.co/O5Ct0BYGth
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 31, 2022
Ateba also accused the White House of intentionally scrubbing footage from a June 27 White House briefing in which he scrapped with Jean-Pierre. The White House blamed a technical glitch for the loss of the exchange from the official recording, which was later fully restored, according to Fox News.
After admonishing Ateba’s behavior, the Post article describes a White House rule proposal pertaining to professional conduct of journalists who attend White House briefings.
“[The rule proposal] said those in violation of the proposed standard would be warned at first, followed by revocation for repeat offenses,” The Post wrote.
This proposed set of rules, the Post asserted, could give the Biden White House the mechanism it needs to legally bar Ateba from briefings. Such an expulsion would stand in contrast to the Trump administration’s expulsions of unruly reporters, such as Brian Karem and CNN’s Jim Acosta, the Post asserted.
“Courts quickly restored (Karem’s and Acosta’s) access, ruling that the White House lacked any formal standards or process for barring credentialed journalists,” the Post noted of the two reporters who consistently challenged the Trump administration’s preferred narratives.
Ateba told The Post that his efforts to cover the White House “have been met with racism and discrimination from the Left, as well as misleading articles that fail to address the underlying story of discrimination against me.”
The Washington Post did not respond immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
Subscribe for free to the America First Report newsletter.
Yes, We Need Your Help
I hate being “that guy” who asks people to donate because I think our conservative news network is so crucial, but here I am…
When I left my cushy corporate job in 2017, I did so knowing that my family would have to make sacrifices. But I couldn’t continue to watch the nation slip into oblivion and was inspired by President Trump’s willingness to fight the good fight even at his own personal expense. What I didn’t realize then is that conservative media would be so heavily attacked, canceled, and defunded that the sacrifices would be extreme.
Many in this nation are struggling right now even though we weren’t struggling just a few years ago. I’m not alone. But I wake up every morning and operate the sites we’ve been able to build because there’s really no other choice. I refuse to be beholden to Big Tech like so many other conservative news outlets, which is why you won’t see Google ads here. With that said, it’s often challenging to pay the bills and it’s even harder to expand so we can get the America First message out to a wider audience.
The economic downturn has forced me to make a plea for help. Between cancel culture, lockdowns, and diminishing ad revenue, we need financial assistance in order to continue to spread the truth. We ask all who have the means, please donate through our Giving Fuel. Your generosity is what keeps these sites running and allows us to expand our reach so the truth can get to the masses. We’ve had great success in growing but we know we can do more with your assistance.
We currently operate:
- NOQ Report
- Conservative Playlist
- Uncanceled News
- Based Underground
- Five other conservative news sites
I would even be willing to entertain investments and partnerships at this stage. I’ve turned them down in the past because editorial purity is extremely important. I’ll turn them down again if anyone wants us to start supporting RINOs or avoid “taboo” topics like voter fraud, vaccines, or transgender supremacy. But I’d talk to fellow America First patriots who want to help any (or all) of our 10 news sites. Hit me up at jdrucker (at) substack (dot) com if you’re interested.
For those who have the means and just want to help keep the mission of spreading a conservative, Christian message to the nation, please consider a generous donation.
