White House spokesman Jen Psaki’s latest briefing with reporters quickly fell into chaos on Friday after a reporter repeatedly scolded his colleagues, shouting about fair access to the room.
When Psaki began answering questions – and managed to hold back tears as he thanked members of the administration and the press – Simon Ateba, White House chief correspondent for Today News Africa, was heard shouting from the back of the briefing .
“Why don’t you answer questions from across the room?” Ateba asked when Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller tried to start by asking about the continuing shortage of formula.
“Why don’t you answer questions from across the room?” Because you haven’t done that in the last 15 months, “Ateba shouted again.
Jen Psaki fought back tears as she thanked members of the administration and the press.AP Simon Ateba is the White House chief correspondent for Today News Africa.Simon Ateba / Twitter
Initially, Psaki was not worried about Ateba’s lack of decency, but just minutes later, the Today News Africa reporter shouted again at his colleagues.
“Jen, can I ask you a question from behind?” he was heard to say. “Jen, can I ask you a question from behind?”
As he continued to speak to front-line reporters trying to question Psaki, NPR’s Tamara Keith turned to urge Ateba to stop.
The hall was packed during Jen Psaki’s last briefing. Reuters
“Simon, please stop,” she said.
Ateba didn’t bother and kept shouting at the other reporters in the room until Psaki finally turned to him and said, “Simon, if you can respect your colleagues and other media and reporters here, that would be greatly appreciated.”
Psaki has been criticized in the past for strictly sticking to answering reporters’ questions in the first few rows of the briefing room, often omitting questions from publications such as The Post, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera and other foreign media.
Reporters have asked Simon Ateba to stop shouting repeatedly
After the violent protest, NBC News’s Peter Alexander said he would voluntarily limit himself to two questions to allow more colleagues to turn. Front-line journalists routinely help themselves to half-dropped, outraged fellow reporters who can go weeks or months without being called.
Historically, reporters have adhered to the informal norm of limiting exchanges to two issues.
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