New York Times reporter: Obama is the 'greatest enemy to press freedom in a generation'

New York Times reporter: Obama is the 'greatest enemy to press freedom in a generation'
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

New York Times reporter James Risen says President Obama is an "enemy" of the press because of his administration's unprecedented crackdown on whistleblowers and reporters.

Speaking with Times colleague Maureen Dowd last week, Risen called Obama "the greatest enemy to press freedom in a generation." Obama, he added, is also "hypocritical" considering how he and Attorney General Eric Holder recently defended the press against reports of intimidation by police in Ferguson, Missouri. (Police there detained two reporters and allegedly harassed others, leading Obama to declare that "police should not be bullying or arresting journalists who are just trying to do their jobs.")

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.