AP spokesperson Lauren Easton answered the officer's question: "The role of journalists is to report the news on behalf of the public." Hundreds of Turkish journalists were arrested in the crackdown that followed the July 2016 coup attempt against the Turkish President. So he's worked for years to cultivate public hatred towards journalists, making it a feature of his time in office. Trump had to up the ante to turn journalists into a hate object. Those who today cheer at seeing journalists led away in handcuffs don't realize that one day they could be next.

Source: CNN June 11, 2020 10:07 UTC