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African Reporter Tears Into ‘Shameful’ View Hosts

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Simon Ateba, the Today News Africa reporter who has been a thorn in the side of White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is now in a tiff with the hosts of the ABC talk show “The View.”

Ateba was not interested in the cast of the Netflix hit “Ted Lasso” appearing with the press secretary to discuss mental health issues and he was attacked by the press secretary and members of the media.

Below is a transcript of the wild exchange:

Ateba: Karine, before — before you begin —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, no, no, no.  Nope.  That’s not — we’re not doing this.  We’re not doing this.

Ateba:  I would like to request —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’re not doing this.  We’re not doing this.

Ateba: I would like to request that you call on everyone from across the room.  You’ve been discriminating against me and discriminating against some people in the briefing room.

Another Reporter: Sir!

Ateba:  And I’m saying that this is the U.S. —

Another Reporter:  Come on!

Ateba:  — this is not China —

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Another Reporter:  Let her start.

Ateba:  — this is not Russia.

Another Reporter: You’re being rude.

Another Reporter: Let her start.

Ateba: This is not Russia!

Another Reporter:  Be respectful.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.

Ateba: What you are doing, you are making a mockery of the First Amendment.

Another Reporter:  Simon!

Another Reporter:  Decorum, please.  Decorum, please.

Another Reporter:  Let her start.  Respect her.

Ateba: It’s been seven months. You’ve not called on me.

Another Reporter: Decorum, please.

Ateba:    You blow off my messages.  I’m saying that that’s not right.  That’s not right.

Another Reporter: Let her start the briefing!

JEAN-PIERRE:  Fun times.  Welcome, guys.  (Laughter.)

Ateba: That’s not right.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Welcome.  Welcome to the press briefing room.

Ateba: (Inaudible) you are trying to silence some people —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.

Ateba:  — but this is not right.

Another Reporter:  Sir!

Another Reporter:  Sir, let it go.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Are you ready?  Are we going to behave?

Another Reporter: Thank you.

Ateba:  It’s not about behaving —

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MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  While many folks —

Ateba:  — I’m saying that it is to respect the First Amendment.

Another Reporter:  Decorum, please.

Another Reporter:   Simon!

WATCH:

It was a gang assault on Ateba and it did not stop in the briefing room as the ladies of “The View” took aim at him.

“He’s clearly a horrible person, and maybe shouldn’t be in the White House briefing room,” co-host Sunny Hostin said. “However, he does have what’s called a hard pass, I believe. This means he doesn’t have a seat assigned, so when other people don’t show up, he gets to ask questions.”

“He’s a filler….And he reports on relations between Africa and the United States. It is a global economy. He hasn’t been called on apparently in seven months,” she said.

“I think you have to have decorum especially because this is an important issue. I have been in this situation before, and there’s usually a Secret Service agent in the back and they can, like, remove someone out the door if they’re so disruptive. You can make the point and say, you know, I haven’t been called on, but then move on. You don’t get to filibuster the kind of briefing was my thought,” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said.

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“You have to look at your behavior, sir. You have to look at your behavior because nobody wants to be jumped. Nobody wants to be jumped up there. The gig is tough enough,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg said.

But Ateba it them back on Twitter.

“SHAMEFUL: Two Black women on @TheView Whoopi Goldberg and @sunny Hostin attacked me and found it acceptable that @PressSec Karine Jean-Pierre, a Black woman herself, would call on reporters from around the world but not on the Black African reporter in the room for more than 7 months. Where did you forget your history? What about the love and care for minorities? What about respecting the First Amendment?” he said.

The only thing Ateba has done is attempt to do his job, and he has been singled out by a press secretary who is not interested in asking tough questions.

If this were another administration freezing out another, American, reporter it would be a rallying cry for all journalists to stand behind him. But these journalists choose to protect the government.

As Ateba explained, the First Amendment is there so that reporters hold the government’s feet to the fire, not to be a messenger service of those in power.

Keep fighting Simon. Real journalists and Americans support you.

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