A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, said President Donald Trump crossed the line when he accused the newspaper of “a virtual act of treason.”
Sulzberger made his comments in a column posted by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday night.
“First it was ‘the failing New York Times,’” he said. “Then ‘fake news.’ Then ‘enemy of the people.’ President Trump’s escalating attacks on The New York Times have paralleled his broader barrage on American media. He’s gone from misrepresenting our business, to assaulting our integrity, to demonizing our journalists with a phrase that’s been used by generations of demagogues.
“Now, the president has escalated his attacks even further, accusing the Times of a crime so grave it is punishable by death.
“On Saturday, Mr. Trump said the Times had committed ‘a virtual act of treason.’ The charge, levied on Twitter, was in response to an article about American cyber incursions into the Russian electrical grid that his own aides had assured our reporters raised no national-security concerns.”
And he maintained Trump’s attack “crosses a dangerous line” in the president’s “campaign” against the press. Sulzberger claimed there is not a more serious charge a president can make against a news organization.
And he added: “There is nothing we take more seriously than doing this work fairly and accurately, even when we are under attack. Mr. Trump’s campaign against journalists should concern every patriotic American.”
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