Ex Nigeria based journalist, Simon Ateba, laments oppression in White House
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Cameroonian born journalist who currently practices in the United States, Simon Ateba, has lamented being oppressed by White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre
Ateba had worked for The NEWS magazine in Nigeria for nine years, worked for PM News before starting his blog.
He later relocated to the United States where he founded Today News Africa and became the White House correspondent for the online news platform.
In the White House Briefing Room where journalists get briefed on state of affairs, Ateba would get snubbed by Karine Jean-Pierre. His crime was to have in the past, asked questions the Press Secretary disliked.
On March 20, 2023, Ateba protested against Karine Jean-Pierre during a Press Conference that included the cast of the comedy series Ted Lasso. Ateba said Jean-Pierre had discriminated against him by not calling on him during her seven-month tenure as White House Press Secretary.
On his Twitter handle, where he currently has more than 280,000 followers, Ateba said the oppression against him worsened after the March 20 standoff with Karine Jean-Pierre.
He writes: “Karine Jean-Pierre dislikes me 99 percent of the time, and likes me 0.0001 percent of the time. The worst part is when we meet at that restaurant outside the White House. After a big fight in the briefing room, what do we say to each other? It’s always awkward.
“The next day in the briefing room, she calls on the person on my left, the one on my right, the person right in front of me and the one right behind me. Then skips me as I raise my hand. She makes it clear that she is calling on everyone around me except me.
“Then other reporters who don’t want to face the same consequences begin to tell her ‘Thanks Karine’ after she answers their questions. They become submissive, thanks for calling on me, thanks for answering my questions, thanks for doing me a favor.
“In the briefing room, they try to keep their distance from me, being associated with Simon means maybe not getting called on. One reporter blocked me from taking an empty seat during Biden’s speech, I just pressed forward and sat down. The reporter works for a UK publication, The Independent. Another blamed me for not getting called on because I sat next to her. The reporter works for VOA.
“A few of them attacked me last time and the next day she began to call on them, almost as if the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
“Others think twice before writing a good story about me. They may also be blacklisted. Other friends in the media write bad articles about me, go to my wikipedia page and add negative things, remove my picture.
“Bravery, boldness or a quest for truth is a lonely journey. But it’s better to die as a free man rather than live as a slave. As I continue to write about my experience, I realize that my life is a movie. May God help me. Amen.”