Mike Cavender

President Trump’s contempt for the news media was again glaringly on display when he chose not to hold a news conference at the conclusion of the G-20 summit in Hamburg. But the impact of his decision goes far beyond simply demonstrating a lack of concern for informing the American people.

President Donald Trump managed to avoid questions about hot-button issues facing the White House — such as the future of national security adviser Michael Flynn and a North Korean missile launch — in a news conference Monday with Canadian Prime MInister Justin Trudeau.

RTDNA’s Mike Cavender: “President Trump’s latest charge against the media is that we’re covering up terror attacks around the world by not reporting or under-reporting some of them. Trump’s accusations are just another in a long list of attacks on the news media; attacks which have no basis in fact. The president’s war on the press has reached a point of being ridiculous and even damaging to our system of a free and open press.”

He was named executive director of RTDNA and its foundation in 2011, after serving more than 20 years in virtually every board capacity of the two organizations, including as their chairman. He will step down at the end of next year.

RTDNA’s Mike Cavender: “We live in a world of media which now has a vast array of content and platform choices. Want a conservative outlook on the news? There are places for that. If you prefer a liberal spin, there are channels for that, too. We can go online to create personal news feeds which deliver only the kind of stories that we’re comfortable believing, where it doesn’t matter if they’re true. Ultimately, there is only one person who can truly mitigate the impact of fake, biased or otherwise distorted content. The news consumer.”

Mike Cavender, RTDNA executive director: “It isn’t enough that we have to contend with fighting legislation around the country that seeks to prevent police videos from being released. Now, in Arizona, there’s a state senator who’s introducing a bill that would make it illegal to record your own video of a police action if you’re closer than 20 feet to the officer.”

Radio Television Digital News Association’s Executive Director Mike Cavender wrote a letter to Ferguson, Mo.’s chief of police on Wednesday urging “Ferguson police to work with journalists.”

Journalists are worried about three provisions in legislation from Sen. Dianne Feinstein designed to stop intelligence leaks to the media that they see as too broad. Brian Weiss, a Feinstein spokesman, says lawmakers are weighing the criticisms. “The bill is a work in progress,” Weiss says. “Sen. Feinstein is looking at the comments and is open to changes as it moves forward in the Senate.”

Once again, the public is being denied an opportunity to witness a very important judicial event. The decision by Colorado judge William Sylvester ordering that James Holmes’ latest court appearance be closed to cameras is yet another example of how far we haven’t come in being able to shed light on one of the most basic aspects of American society — its jurisprudence system.

The Newsroom is engaging television, set against a backdrop that many people find interesting — the TV news business. I find the show a diversion worthy of an hour of my time each week — especially since now, I can pick which hour that will be!

After a relatively quiet few years, the organization is hoping to raise its visibility with its new executive director, an experienced broadcast news veteran who can speak out on the First Amendment and other issues affecting electronic journalists and perhaps restore the annual conference to its former stature.

The journalism organization says the appointment of the 25-year media veteran reaffirms its commitment to providing best practices for the journalist and advocate for journalism in Washington.