The department of state is committed to training journalists about freedom of the press, stated Mike Pompeo on Sunday.
When visited Kazakhstan, Pompeo told us that the freedom of the press helps in building civil societies from within the country.
Pompeo also stated that the journalists were expected to behave in a certain manner, like being honest and transparent. When enquired about the combative interview with a journalist and the barring of another journalist from traveling with his media pool, Pompeo stated that it was because of their lack of honesty.
When particularly asked about the interview with an NPR reporter, Pompeo said that it is the general way in which he takes interviews.
Last week, Pompeo was had a testy interview with an NPR host Mary Louise. When asked about the Ukraine scandal and President Trump’s impeachment proceedings, Pompeo answered aggressively.
He met the host behind closed doors after the interview, yelling and swearing at her. He also challenged her to point out Ukraine on a blank map, to which she did.Pompeo accused Kelly of lying about the script of the interview and implied that the post-interview conversation would be off the record. Within a few weeks, Pompeo had also banned NPR reporter Michele Kelemen from traveling on his plane for a trip to Ukraine.
Toleukhan asked Pompeo about the kind of social message his conversation with the NPR reporters would send to countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, where the governments routinely suppress freedom of the press.
Pompeo replied that it is a perfect message regarding press freedoms. He stated that they are free to ask questions. He also stated that there was a reporter from one of those countries who attended a press conference yesterday. He hoped that the rest of the world will follow the great things that they do in the U.S.
Nishtha Sarabhai after working for three years in a Bank switched to writing to balance her work and home. She is a mother of two beautiful kids. She enjoys writing on Aerospace, Science and new invcentions. She has been with VMR news since its inception.