The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg Defends Report, Fires Back at Trump: ‘We Are Not Going to Be Intimidated by the President’
The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg used an interview with CNN’s Brian Stelter to defend the magazine’s reporting on President Donald Trump’s disparagement of America’s servicemen.
Appearing on Reliable Sources, Goldberg asserted his confidence in The Atlantic’s multiple anonymous sources who provided the accounts of Trump’s disrespectful attitude toward fallen soldiers. He also pointed out that the article’s details are in-line with Trump’s public comments, remarking that “according to the rules of ordinary politics,” Trump’s presidential ambitions should’ve ended the day he insulted John McCain for being captured as a prisoner of war.
As Goldberg predicted that more national security personnel will also eventually speak out against Trump, Stelter pressed him on why he granted anonymity to the sources for his story. Goldberg referred to Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin, noting she corroborated multiple elements from his report, but he defended the use of anonymous sources by saying “we all have to use anonymous sources, especially in a climate in which the president of the United States tries to actively intimidate journalism organizations and people who provide information to journalism organizations.”
The formula is simple. What you do is you have to say ‘Does the public’s right to know or need to know a particular piece of information outweigh the morally complicated and ambiguous qualities of anonymous sourcing?’ Most of us, most of the time, don’t rely on anonymous sourcing for most things because there are difficulties there. But in this climate, with information that we judge the voters to need, we are going to use anonymous sources because we think the public has a right to know, especially when you have four, five or six sources primary sources, corroborating sources, telling you the same thing.
Stelter followed by asking for Goldberg’s reaction to Trump’s latest swipe against The Atlantic, during which, the president suggested that people should confront Steve Jobs’ widow because she owns a portion of the magazine.
Steve Jobs would not be happy that his wife is wasting money he left her on a failing Radical Left Magazine that is run by a con man (Goldberg) and spews FAKE NEWS & HATE. Call her, write her, let her know how you feel!!! https://t.co/wwuoP85bQE
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2020
Goldberg called it a “threat” that’s “meant to intimidate,” and he compared Trump’s conduct to dictators who stifle free speech and media outlets.
“We are not going to be intimidated by the president of the United States,” Goldberg said. “His intense frustration — which comes out in these outbursts — comes from the fact that unlike dictators in other countries, he cannot shut down media outlets that he doesn’t like. And so, it’s our duty to continue to pursue the truth no matter what he says about us.”
Watch above, via CNN.
