Simon Ateba, an African journalist who covers the White House for TODAY News Africa, has consistently pushed back against Biden press secretaries Jen Psaki and Karine Jean-Pierre.
In May 2022, Ateba learned the price to pay for daring to try to get real answers from the Biden administration, and he was threatened with expulsion from the White House Correspondents’ Association. He has now justified his threat.
On Saturday, Ateba announced that he would be suing the group for making false claims against him and not adhering to his own guidelines.
“I fight like hell because they don’t know that there are people like me building companies from scratch, while they sit in the briefing room and collect their salaries. “Pray for me,” he wrote.
I have decided to take legal action against the White House Correspondents Association @whca Because they made false claims against me and my company and did not adhere to their own membership guidelines. From now on, I will let my lawyer talk about the case but I will fight… https://t.co/cWrbFjMr7Z pic.twitter.com/sEnzaKDHh3
— Simon Ateba (@simonstheba) March 4, 2023
Simon Ateba is not the first reporter to be treated poorly by the White House Press Association group. The organization prides itself on its leftist bent and coordinated attacks.
In 2017 Gateway Pundit reporter Lucian Wintrich was bullied and abused in the White House press room.
Lucian Wintrich: I Was Assaulted in the White House Press Room – Here’s My Report
So this abuse against Simon Ateba comes as no surprise to The Gateway Pundit.
Ateba shared:
Today is a dark day for press freedom in the United States. I was removed from the White House Correspondents’ Association by the evil forces that felt inferior. The removal had the approval of a journalist @tamarakeithNPR Who is the WHCA president and works for NPR from donors and taxpayers. They claim that I have no money and cannot become a member of WHCA. They lied in their letter and did not follow their own membership guidelines. May God forgive them.
He wrote, “Dear Simon, Thanks for reaching out. The Committee is waiting to consider your application based on our previous conversations when you indicated an interest in applying for a different membership level.
“At that time, the committee requested additional information, including a letter from your supervisor confirming your paid employment and specific job duties.
Even though those requirements have been explained in person and in email on more than one occasion, you have not provided the committee with any additional information until we were asked to evaluate your original application. We immediately did so.
However, I regret to inform you that your application for membership has been rejected.
Your application has been carefully reviewed by your listed news organization and a panel of journalists looking at your assignment based on all the information you have provided and any other information available to them.
Among other concerns, they saw no evidence that you were “employed on the editorial staff of a newspaper, magazine, wire service, radio, TV, or other news-gathering organization reporting on the White House.” Laws. You have publicly tweeted that you do not receive a salary and have declined opportunities to provide information about your employment status.
This is a requirement for all members of the association. Additionally, the Committee noted repeated instances where your conduct violated the membership expectations outlined in our Bylaws, which were previously explained to you.
I will refund your outstanding payment. At the same time, I am adding you to our email list used to communicate important health and safety information to the White House Press Corps.
authentication,
Steven Thomma is executive director, White House Correspondents’ Association
600 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20037-2403 Web: whca.press
Today is a dark day for press freedom in the United States. I was removed from the White House Correspondents’ Association by the evil forces that felt inferior. The removal had the approval of a journalist @tamarakeithNPR Who https://t.co/ku6YlLJ9km… https://t.co/6sCa9iKgeT pic.twitter.com/2grSfnbwh2
— Simon Ateba (@simonstheba) March 4, 2023
