UN experts have slammed Donald Trump's criticism of the media, warning that it increases the risk of journalists being attacked.
David Kaye and Edison Lanza - who serve as Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression for the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - called on the Trump administration to cease efforts to undermine the media.
In a statement, they said: "His attacks are strategic, designed to undermine confidence in reporting and raise doubts about verifiable facts.
"These attacks run counter to the country’s obligations to respect press freedom and international human rights law. We are especially concerned that these attacks increase the risk of journalists being targeted with violence."
The statement was released during a week that saw a fresh focus on Trump's frequent criticism of the press and media.
At an event hosted by US news organisation Axios, President Trump's daughter Ivanka said she doesn't believe the media is "the enemy of the people" - an accusation that has been levelled by her father.
In a tweet, the US President moved to clarify his own stance - saying a "large percentage of the media" is "fake news".
They asked my daughter Ivanka whether or not the media is the enemy of the people. She correctly said no. It is the FAKE NEWS, which is a large percentage of the media, that is the enemy of the people!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2018
On Wednesday, CNN reporter Jim Acosta shared a video showing a number of Trump supporters at a rally in Tampa, Florida yelling insults at members of the media.
Just a sample of the sad scene we faced at the Trump rally in Tampa. I’m very worried that the hostility whipped up by Trump and some in conservative media will result in somebody getting hurt. We should not treat our fellow Americans this way. The press is not the enemy. pic.twitter.com/IhSRw5Ui3R
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 1, 2018
In a White House press conference yesterday, Mr Acosta repeatedly asked Press Secretary Sarah Sanders whether she too believed the press was the 'enemy of the people' - but she refused to say whether she agreed with the statement.
I walked out of the end of that briefing because I am totally saddened by what just happened. Sarah Sanders was repeatedly given a chance to say the press is not the enemy and she wouldn't do it. Shameful.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 2, 2018
Following a meeting with the US President, New York Times publisher AG Sulzberger last Sunday released a statement saying he had implored Trump to "reconsider his broader attacks on journalism, which I believe are dangerous and harmful to our country".