

ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos

An ABC News correspondent on Sunday defended the news media against President Trump’s claim that they are the “enemy of the American people” by saying reporters will continue to do their jobs even if it means “incurring the wrath of the most powerful person in the world.”

“There is a reason the founders put freedom of the press in the very first amendment to the Constitution,” host Jonathan Karl argued in an essay top closeout “This Week.”

“As long as America’s democracy remains healthy, there will be reporters willing to pursue the truth – even if that means incurring the wrath of the most powerful person in the world.”

After listing caustic comments other former presidents — including Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt — made about the news media, Karl said: “We are not about to stop doing our jobs because yet another president is unhappy with what he reads, or hears, or sees on TV news.”

Karl, ABC’s White House correspondent, praised Trump for being accessible to the media during the presidential campaign and even last Thursday when he held a rollicking press conference where he called on 17 reporters.

But, now, Karl said, “The president has declared the press is the enemy of American people.”

As a reporter he said he covered some leaders who, more than complaining about the media, tried to shut it down and even put journalists in prison “or worse.”

“I’ve seen my colleagues risk their lives, and with increasing frequency, lose their lives in pursuit of the truth,” he said.

Karl continued: “A free press isn’t the enemy of America, it’s a big part of what makes America great.”