It seems that Today News Africa’s White House reporter, Simon Ateba, is causing quite a stir by pursuing legal action against White House press secretary Katrine Jean-Pierre, claiming that she discriminated against him during press conferences. The journalist also plans to sue the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) for false claims against him and his company, as well as for not following their own membership guidelines.
Ateba spoke out about his decision to pursue legal action on Twitter, stating:
“I have also decided to take legal action against President Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for discrimination against me in the White House. My lawyer will be the one to also talk about this case here or when we appear on television to discuss the case.”
He added, “I will fight like hell because as they sit in the briefing room collecting salaries, they don’t know there are people like me who build companies from scratch. Pray for me.”
Ateba further explained how the WHCA removed him from their association due to claims he “did not follow their own membership guidelines.” An application to join the association was denied because “the committee noted repeated instances where your behavior violated the expectations for membership outlined in our bylaws,” Ateba said WHCA Executive Director Steven Thomma wrote to him in an email.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News, Ateba revealed that he had been experiencing a “nightmare” at the White House due to his concerns with Jean-Pierre. He believes that the press secretary discriminated against him because of his ethnicity and accent, and alleged that there is an “astounding” and “disgraceful” amount of “discrimination against me and against African journalists in the White House.”
The journalist claimed that he had not been able to ask Pierre a question for three months and suggested that his questions about COVID-19 and illegal immigration may have led to her disdain for him.
“I believe that it has to do with maybe two or three things. The first thing, I sound different. I wasn’t born here. I was born in Cameroon. I speak French. I speak different languages. I don’t have an American accent. I’ve tried. I’ve failed and I’ve decided I’ll stick with my accent.”
Ateba’s frustration seems to stem from the fact that he is a prominent voice for Africa in the U.S. and believes that his questions are important to ask. He explained to Carlson, “There’s a reason why your show is the most watched show in news in the U.S. Because you bring people like me. It’s been a disaster, a total catastrophe, a real nightmare covering the Biden White House.”
The journalist also took to Twitter to share his experiences, writing:
“Attacked by pirates on the Gulf of Guinea with an AK47 to my head, kidnapped in Nigeria, dumped in the woods & left for dead, arrested in Cameroon during investigation & kept in dark cell only to be sidelined at the White House. This is how Tucker Carlson introduced me to America.”
WATCH:
It seems that Ateba is determined to fight for what he believes is right, despite the obstacles he has faced throughout his career. His allegations of discrimination are serious and should be thoroughly investigated to ensure that all members of the press are treated fairly and without bias. It remains to be seen what the outcome of his legal action will be, but one thing is clear: Simon Ateba is not backing down.
Sources: TrendingPolitics, RealClearPolitics
Thomas Cooper