THE LETTER Oct 25, 2018

On the heels of the recent brutal murder of a The

Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi,
President Donald Trump chose to celebrate the
assault of The Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs by an
American congressman—an attack that occurred
while the journalist was simply doing his job, posing
questions to a politician.

Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte (R) body-

slammed Jacobs, knocking him to the ground and
beating him severely enough to send him to the
hospital. Although Gianforte pleaded guilty to a
misdemeanor assault and was fined, the President of
the United States praised this violent behavior at a
Trump rally in Missoula, Montana, on October 18.

Trump’s condoning of political violence is part of a

sustained pattern of attack on a free press—
which includes labeling any reportage he doesn’t like
as “fake news” and barring reporters and
news organizations whom he wishes to punish from
press briefings and events.

One of the pillars of a free and open democracy is a

vibrant free press.

At his inauguration the President of the United States

swears to protect the U.S. Constitution, including
the First Amendment.

1
This President is utterly failing to do so and actively
working not simply to undermine the press, but
to incite violence against it as well.

In a lawsuit filed by PEN, the writer’s organization,

against Donald Trump, they charge him with
violating the First Amendment. We, the undersigned,
past and present members of the Fourth Estate,
support this action.

We denounce Donald Trump's behavior as

unconstitutional, un-American and utterly unlawful
and unseemly for the President of the United States
and leader of the free world.

###

The Signatories
1. Sam Donaldson, ABC News White House
correspondent, ret.
2. Dan Cordtz, Economics correspondent, ABC
News
3. Anne Garrels, ABC News and NPR
correspondent, ret.
4. Jim Hickey, ABC-TV Correspondent and ABC
News Radio National Correspondent, ret.
5. Mike Lee, ABC News Correspondent, ret.
6. Bob Brown, ABC News Correspondent, ret.
7. George Strait, Chief Science and Medical
Correspondent, ABC News, ret.

2
 8. Hilary Brown, retired foreign correspondent,
ABC News, former Anchor,
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
9. David Ensor, Director GWU Project for Media
and National Security, former Correspondent
for NPR, ABC News and CNN
10. James Walker, ABC News Correspondent,
ret.
11. Charles Glass, former Chief Mideast
Correspondent, ABC News
12. Lynn Sherr, Correspondent ABC News, ret.,
author/ freelance journalist
13. Peter Lance, ABC News Correspondent (ret.)
Investigative author HarperCollins; Contributor
HuffPost
14. Al Dale, ABC News correspondent, 1978-96,
ret.
15. Chris Kelley, correspondent, CBS NEWS, ret.
16. Ken Kashiwahara, ABC News
correspondent, ret.
17. Wolfgang Achtner, former
Reporter/Producer ABC News, former
Correspondent CNN, Professor of TV News
Reporting, University of Siena & Unversity of
Perugia
18. Sissel McCarthy, former Anchor and
Reporter CNN and CNBC
19. Ron Olson, formerly Reporter, KABC-TV,
ret.
20. Judy Muller, ABC News Correspondent, ret.;
Professor Emerita, USC Annenberg School of
Journalism and Communication

3
 21. Karen
Burnes, Anchor/Correspondent/Producer, ABC
and CBS News
22. Jim Slade, Science Correspondent, ret.
23. Rick Kaplan, former President of CNN and
MSNBC, Executive Producer of The CBS Evening
News, World News Tonight, Nightline and
Primetime Live
24. Av Westin, former Senior VP and Executive
Producer, ABC News, ret.
25. Ed Eaves, Editor/Producer, ABC and NBC
News
26. Paul Friedman, Executive Producer, NBC
News, ABC News, ret.
27. David Buksbaum, former Senior Producer,
ABC News, Vice President CBS News, ret.
28. Andrea McCarren, former White House
Correspondent and News One Correspondent,
ABC News
29. Gil Gross, former Senior Correspondent and
Anchor, ABC News Radio
30. Helen Westwood, Washington Coordinating
Producer, Primetime Live; London Bureau
Chief, ABC TV News, ret.
31. Kathy O’Hearn, former Executive Producer,
ABC/CNN/MSNBC
32. Derwin Johnson, former CNN and ABC
Producer & Middle East Bureau Chief, former
Associate Professor, Columbia Univ. Graduate
School of Journalism
33. Thomasina Nista Chaffardet, Director of
New Media, ABC News, ret.

4
 34. Dianne Drummey Marino, Producer, NBC
News & WNBC News, ret.
35. Jamie Deans, former Producer, ABC News
2020
36. Dawn Ennis, former ABC News Assignment
Editor, GMA Writer and Field Producer,
Producer, NBC News
37. Linda Pattillo, former ABC News
Correspondent, Lecturer in Journalism, Georgia
State University
38. Ed Freedman, Producer, CBS News & ABC
News, ret.
39. John Beattie, former Producer, ABC News,
ret.
40. Carmen Dixon, former Producer, Primetime
Live, World News Tonight
41. Steve North, Correspondent, NBC Radio,
and Writer, CBS News, ret.
42. Nick Young, Correspondent, CBS News,
Radio, ret.
43. Robert Daley, New York Times
correspondent and author, ret.
44. Betsy Aaron, ABC, NBC, CNN
45. Kayce Freed Jennings, Former Producer,
ABC News
46. Justin Friedland, Senior Producer, ABC
News Special Events, WNT, Morning News, ret.
47. John Lower, Producer, ABC News, ret.
48. Todd Easton, Producer WNT, ABC News
49. Richard O’Regan, freelance journalist,
former Producer ABC News, CBS News, CBC

5
 News, the Christian Science Monitor, New York
Times Television
50. Bob Hoenig, former Senior Editor, ABC
Radio
51. Bernice Vann Homstrom, ABC News, ret.
52. Mark Haimowitz, BO&E, ABC News, ret.
53. Willian Lynch, ABC News Film & Videotape
Library
54. Richard L. Hess, former BO&E systems
engineer
55. Mike Rebich, ABC News Cameraman
56. Warner W. Johnston, ABC Transmission
Engineer
57. Joanne Mallie, Executive Producer, CBS
News,ret.
58. Evalyn Lee, Producer, CBS News, ret.
59. William Bores, ABC Network Technical
Director & NABET-CWA Local 16 Executive
Board
60. Lisa Rosenberg, Producer, GMA Sunday, ret.
61. Jane Aylor, Director, Bureau Operations,
ABC News DC., ret
62. Sharon Sforza Brender, Director of News
Production, ABC News DC, ret.
63. Bernadine Rideau, ABC News PA/AD
64. Frank A. Dalecki, Jr., Producer/Writer, CBS
News Radio, ret.
65. Lyn Henderson, Past President, Women in
Film & Television, Florida Chapter
66. Meredith Wheeler, Writer and Producer,
ABC News ret.

6
 67. Phil Paine, Senior Engineer, London ENG
Operations
68. Eddie Land, Former DA, WABC TV and
ABC News
69. George Merlis, Former Executive Producer,
Good Morning America, CBS Morning News.
70. Linda Maskin Fuller, ABC News
71. Dave Cohen, News Editor, ABC, ret.
72. Tara Sonenshine, former Editorial Producer,
ABC NEWS Nightline,
Former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public
Diplomacy and Public Affairs,
currently at George Washington University
Elliott School of International Affairs
73. Eileen O’Connor, Attorney and former CNN
White House and Moscow Bureau Chief
74. Ellen Bradley Watson, Executive Secretary to
David Burke, Exec VP, ABC News
75. Marianne Keeley Stack, ABC News
Producer, ret.
76. Barbara Silber, former AD, ABC Radio Net
77. Bill Harris, Editor, ABC News Editor, ret.
78. Laura Hughes, ABC News, Audio
technician, ret.
79. Frank Radice, ABC News Producer, ret.
80. L. Aviva Diamond, former Correspondent,
ABC News, former Reporter, The Miami Herald
81. Dick Hubert, Producer-Writer, ABC NEWS
SCOPE, ret.
82. Andy Lewis, Editor, ABCNews London, ret.
83. Cass Wagner, Camera: Local, Net, Sports,
GMA, ABC TV

7
 84. Wendy Vega, Sound mixer, WABCTV and
KABCTV
85. Jody Serensits, ENG audio technician, ABC,
ret.
86. Jorge Bouza, Sound mixer ABC/CBS, Miami
Bureau
87. Dina Cholack, ABC News, former
Producer/Assignment Editor
88. Mark Teboe, ENG Camera, Freelance ABC,
NBC, CBS, Al Jazeera International
89. Val Wickens-Smith, former ABSAT
Manager, ABC News
90. Kelly Woods Traudt, former DA NewsOne
91. Lori Hoffman, Producer, Bloomberg News,
ret.
92. Al Wasser, Writer/Editor, ABC & CBS News
(ret.)
93. Barbara Silber, former AD, ABC Radio
Network
94. Lynn Flaster, Writer, Producer, Reporter,
NBC News, Connecticut Public Television, ret.
95. Jeff Kreiner, Senior Vice President, CBS
News Marketing, Senior V.P. NBC East Coast
96. Jack Cloherty, former Producer, ABC News
97. Jacqueline Cutty, former Satellite Desk
Coordinator, ABC News
98. Robert J. Murphy, Producer/Direction, ABC
News
99. Andy Kay, freelance ENG Cameraman, ABC
Sports/ESPN, CBS Sports, NBC, NFL Network
100. Jeanne Amato-Collins, Assist. to
correspondents and producers, ABC News

8
 101. Stu Schutzman, Senior producer, WNT ABC
News, ret.
102. Joe Donnelly, Producer ABC News, ret
103. David Riley, WXYZ-TV Technical Director,
Action News, ret.
104. Rusty Lutz, ABC News Radio Assignment
Editor DC, ret.
105. Liza Levine, Assoc. Producer, ABC News,
ret.
106. Jill Landes, Producer, CBS News, ret.
107. Lew Strauss, CNN and ABC News, ret.
108. Dean Hovell, former World News Tonight
Sr. Operations Producer, DC
109. Jacqueline Calnan, Former ABC News
Assignment Editor, ret.
110. Ted David, ABC News Correspondent 1978-
1985, Anchor, CNBC 1989-2009
111. Carolyn Dunlavy, former BO&E computer
graphics technician DC
112. Su Ronneburger, WABC Radio engineer,
NYC, 1979-2014
113. Nancy Wilkerson, former ADE KABC-TV
114. Ann Benjamin, Director, WNET
115. Laura Wessner, ABC News Nightline Senior
Press Representative, ret.
116. Jim Murphy, News Editor, LA Times;
reporter, KCAL, News 12 CT
117. Mardi Camille Tatton, former PA/AD ABC
News
118. Shelley Ross, former Executive Producer
ABC News, CBS News

9
 119. Carol Williams, former Executive Producer,
ABC News and NBC News
120. Rob Vint, Director, ABC News
121. Charlie Reina, writer, CBS Radio News, ret.
122. Naomi S. Boak, former executive producer,
Twin Cities Public Television
123. Jeff Suarez, Technical Director, ABC-TV, ret.
124. Kristin Whiting, Former
Correspondent/Producer ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN
National Geographic
125. Jerry Zweben, TV network staff Associate
Director. ret.
126. Gil Longin, Writer/Editor, ABC Radio
News, ret.
127. Kathleen O’Neill, former DA, Midwest
Bureau, ABC News. Writer, ABCNews.com
128. Moe Thomas, ABC News Master Control,
NAC Operations
129. Hal Feldman Digital News Director,
NewsOne, Editor/Videographer WABC-
TV, WCAU-TV
130. Michael Risner, Journalist and Production
Management, WCJB TV, WPTV TV
131. Robert Forsyth, forrner Director Ops and
Engineering, WJLA-TV
132. Susan Pomerantz Associate Director, ABC,
ret.
133. Sarah Evans-Burke, former Interview
Producer, Al Jazeera English
134. Brian Pannier, Audio Op, ABC Television
Network

10
 135. Michael Karman, Technical Director, ABC-
TV, ret.
136. Stratis Zervos, ABC News, ENG Camera,
Freelance
137. Adam Smook, Technical Director, ABC-TV,
ret.
138. Shirley Weiss, Associate Director, ABC, ret.
139. Jim Greene, Satellite Engineer, NBC News,
DC
140. Mark Walz, CNN Senior Photojournalist, DC
141. Kimberly Stanick Mullins, former DA
NewsOne
142. Tony Caravello ,General Manager Network
ENG, ret.
143. Robert Ruttenberg, CBS News, Editor, ret.
144. Cara Fogarty, former Producer NBC Radio,
Mutual Broadcasting System and NPR
145. Douglas Obert, World News Tonight Editor,
ret.
146. Merrill Perlman, Former Director of Copy
Desks, New York Times, ret.
147. Francia White, Former Associate Producer,
CBS 60 Minutes, PBS, ret.
148. Mitch Davis, Producer, Special Events, ABC
News, ret.
149. Deborah Moxham, Writer, WNBC News, ret.
150. Samuel Campbell, Former Writer and Editor,
ABC News
151. Kimberly Myers, Former Producer, WNET,
ret.
152. Elizabeth MacKay, former Director of
Production, ABC News

11
 153. Bill Nieves, CBS News, Producer, ret.
154. Molly Fowler, Former producer, ABC News
155. Meredith Greene Megaw, Former producer
ABC News
156. Regina Elo, former Manager, Awards and
Special Projects, ABC News
157. Gary E Donatelli, Director, ABC
Entertainment
158. Murr LeBey, Former Unit Manager and
Producer, ABC News
159. Shirley Weiss, Associate Director, ABC ret.
160. Charlotte Perry Aguilar, former West Coast
Producer, Nightline, World News Tonight
161. John Arrowsmith, former Senior Producer,
ABC News, ret.
162. Bob Furnad, Former Executive Vice
President & Senior Executive Producer at CNN
163. Tina Lurie, former Operations Manager,
ABC News Washington Bureau
164. Gillian Overholser ABC News Associate
Producer 1989-1992
165. Thomas Thornton,
Editor/Engineer/Producer, ABC News
166. Nick Ludlow, former ABC News
Cameraman and current MD of Prime Television,
London
167. Anthony Forma, ABC Freelance Cameraman
168. Alice Look, former Newswriter, Producer,
Reporter WNBC.
169. Susan Mercandetti, Former Vice President,
ABC News

12
 170. Faridoun Hemani, Managing Director, Linx
News, former ABC News Assignment Editor
171. Ken Jobe, former Assistant News Director,
WABC-TV
172. MaryBeth Neil, Producer, NBC News
173. Gail Zimmerman, former
Producer/Director, ABC and CBS News
174. Beth Osisek, former Producer, ABC News
175. Peter T Michaelis, Producer ABCNews and
CBS News, ret.
176. Leslie Walker Burlock, former Associate
Producer, 20/20
177. Julie Hartenstein, former ABC
Producer, Associate Dean, Columbia University
Graduate School of Journalism

178. Rhonda Roberts, Producer Washington

Bureau, WNT and Special Events
179. James Mallon, Technical Operations
Manager, BO&E, ABC News, Washington, DC,
ret.
180. Evelyn Kanter, former Writer/Producer for
CBS and ABC News and Reporter for WCBS
Radio and WABC-TV
181. Douglas Alden, former Producer, ABC
News; NBC Olympics; ESPN; Writer for Fortune
Magazine
182. Jan Ryan-Former, Anchor WTVF, WLAC
183. Jeffrey Veatch, Writer/Editor, ABC News
Radio, ret.
184. Carla Wohl, former ABC NewsOne reporter,
now Associate Dean External Relations USU

13
 185. Emily Paine, former Editor, ABC News
Productions
186. Greg Neal, Associate Director, ABC
187. Judy Enteles Landis, former DA, Researcher,
AP, Producer, ABC News
188. Stew Stoltz, Producer, News Promos, ABC.
189. Steph Jacobs, ABC and CBS News, ret.
190. Stu Chamberlain, Writer/Editor, ABC News
Radio, 1977-2010
191. Alice Irene Pifer, former Producer, ABC
News, Producer, Tikson Documentary Project
192. Paul Colten, ABC Video Editor/Sound
Mixer, ret.
193. Beth Simons, ABC ENG Editor, ret.
194. Mike Stein, Editorial Producer, World News
Tonight, ret.
195. Lee Goldman, Audio Ops, ABC TV, ret.
196. Willis “Skip” Brown, Producer, Cameraman,
CBS, ABC, NBC News and PBS NewsHour, ret.
197. Elliott Reed, VP Operations, ABC Television
Network
198. Lynne Adrine, former Senior Producer, ABC
Weekend News
199. Kate Felsen, currently VP, Marketing and
Digital Strategy, Turnaround for Children, and
formerly Senior Producer/Foreign Editor ABC
News,World News Tonight
200. Philip Mishoe, Jr., Broadcast Engineer, ABC
News, ret.

14