Grabien Mobile App
Get Grabien on the go!
  Collapse  

IJR Suspends Chief Content Officer, Benny Johnson, over Controversial Article

It was supposed to be Independent Journal Review's week to shine.

The upstart, millennial-focused news website, which has emerged as a favorite of President Donald Trump's administration for its conservative bent, was the only media organization granted access to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he traveled to Asia for his first trip there as the nation's top diplomat.

Media critics were wary of the Trump administration's decision to freeze out a traditional press pool in favor of a sole reporter — from IJR, no less, a friendly news outlet. The website had already been scorned for using its newfound White House access to publish what were seen as glowing pieces about the new administration.

The opportunity to shadow Tillerson did little to change that perception. IJR reporter Erin McPike, who was trailing Tillerson, was not filing stories from the road during the week. Nor was she sending real-time updates to colleagues about the secretary's movements. McPike blamed her superiors in a tweet, saying they had told her to focus solely on a profile piece — a decision that was reversed later under mounting pressure and allowed her to break some news about his trip and views toward the media.

Back at home, another firestorm erupted when IJR's viral editor, Kyle Becker, published a conspiracy theory about former President Barack Obama. Without evidence, Becker suggested that perhaps there was a connection between Obama's visit to Hawaii and a ruling by a federal judge there that blocked Trump's revised travel ban.

Like our work? Support the cause.
$
/