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November 06, 2025 – USA –
A senior communications aide at the White House has sparked criticism after posting a coarse and insulting message aimed at a journalist from the press corps. Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson responded publicly to a tweet by Hugh Dougherty, editor of the outlet The Daily Beast, which shared a story critiquing the administration’s treatment of that media organisation. Jackson’s reply included a meme depicting a penguin dunking a basketball with a lude caption followed by a message stating: “The liberal activists who work at the Daily Beast are not journalists.”
The post marks the latest in a series of confrontational exchanges between White House officials and journalists covering the administration. Jackson’s comments came amid a broader context where press secretaries and communications staff have responded to challenging questions by reporters with dismissive or hostile remarks. Two prior incidents involved Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Communications Director Steven Cheung engaging in social-media barbs that included calling a reporter abusive words and debating whether a simple query about a planned U.S.–Russia summit was legitimate.
Journalism and press-freedom advocates warned that Jackson’s post deepens concerns about the tone adopted toward media professionals. They argue that such remarks from senior officials risk undermining trust in the press-briefing process and further eroding access and civility in the dialogue between government communicators and journalists covering national affairs.
A White House official, when queried by the media, defended the post and said, “We call it like we see it. It’s not our issue that Mr Dougherty continues to be clownish.” The dismissal raises questions about internal discipline and whether the White House has clear rules on conduct toward journalists.
This incident underscores the fraught environment for press coverage in Washington, where journalists say they are increasingly treated as adversaries rather than informed interlocutors. The meme and message from Jackson serve as a pointed example of how digital communications by high-ranking officials can sharpen the divide between the press and government in a tense media landscape.
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