CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Donald Trump and Scott Walker Attack the US Press

Journalists are increasingly under fire, figuratively and literally. Figuratively, the most recent victim under “fire” is award-winning broadcast veteran Scott Pelley. I was disappointed, but unsurprised, to see former Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, in the Washington Times this month supporting CBS’s firing of long-time journalist Scott Pelley. Pelley rose up the ranks of journalism the old-fashioned way, starting as a copyboy at age 15 in his 1970’s hometown Texas newspaper. Eventually he became CBS News’ nightly news anchor and then correspondent with America’s investigative journalism flagship series of over a half century, 60 Minutes. It was there that he became its most award-winning correspondent with 51 Emmys.

On the score of literally under “fire,” Pelley covered several war zones from the inside. From the Iraq War of 1991 to Afghanistan, where on the latter he accompanied US Army and Marine units in his reporting on civilian at risk in war zones. Further, in 2006/07 he covered Sudan’s genocide in Darfur and personally helped organize a rebel group for a reconnaissance mission to expose the genocide taking place in Sudan.

In response to this arguably commendable, if not brave, service by Scott Pelley in dangerous combat zones, Walker asserted in his Washington Times’ commentary, “That is like saying you are a dairy farmer because you have watched cows in a milking parlor.” Not quite. This is no........

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