Journalist, author, and former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson has urged reporters to challenge what she calls an "outright onslaught" from the Trump administration. Her comments come after Donald Trump banned CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House, prompting rival television networks to suspend shared coverage of the US president's events.
In an interview conducted before the media ban, Carlson, 60, called on journalists to push back against Trump's "brazen misogyny." She cited instances where Trump has reportedly called female reporters "stupid," "piggy," "incompetent," and "a horrible person."
Carlson, a co-founder of Lift Our Voices, a non-profit, expressed her hope for solidarity among the White House press corps. She suggested that other journalists should speak up when such attacks occur and repeat the questions asked, arguing that they are likely appropriate and important to the public.
She also encouraged the media to adopt a more robust approach with Trump, despite potential risks of future bans. Carlson believes that allowing such behaviour to continue contributes to the "promulgation of misogyny in our society."