Former President Barack Obama shared a video on his Twitter on Wednesday conveying his respect for journalists. The post came years after his presidential terms harassing them.
Obama recorded the video to be published on World Press Day. He addressed a conference on democracy held by the Columbia Journalism School in late April titled "Faultlines: Democracy" that included "historians, journalists, policy makers and others to assess the state of the press in America and provide a roadmap for what happens next," per its website.
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"Journalists have always been on the front lines of struggles for democracy, and some of you have the scars to prove it," Obama said.
"And that’s why it’s so important to find creative ways to reinvigorate quality journalism. It’s why we need to keep standing up for the rights of journalists around the world, many of whom are facing increasing threats and challenges just trying to do their jobs," the 44th president added.
Journalists have always been on the front lines of the struggle for democracy. That’s why we need to keep standing up for the rights of journalists around the world. Grateful that we have @ColumbiaJourn and people like Jelani Cobb taking on this important work. https://t.co/XEPoe17DCG
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 3, 2023
Some threats to journalists, according to the former president, include AI, weak political institutions, and exclusive and unsustainable forms of capitalism.
"Our democracy has always faced its share of challenges, but increasingly it feels like we’re at an inflection point: rising inequality, deepening polarization, and widespread disinformation," Obama said. "If we want to preserve our democratic ideals, we need to face these trends head-on, and we need all of you to help us do it."
Yet, roughly 10 years ago, the Obama administration was targeting several whistleblowers and prosecuting them for their actions, among them Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange, and Edward Snowden. The State Department under Obama referred to one Fox News reporter at the time as a "co-conspirator" in an espionage case affidavit against one of his sources.
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In 2013, some 50 news organizations rallied together in a letter of protest when it was discovered that the Obama Justice Department seized the personal phone records of Associated Press reporters without notice. Reporters said the action at the time "call[ed] into question the very integrity of Department of Justice policies toward the press and its ability to balance, on its own, its police powers against the First Amendment rights."
Most recently, Obama celebrated President Joe Biden's 2024 presidential announcement.