Simon Ateba

Last updated

Simon Ateba (born 1979or1980) is a Cameroonian [1] [2] [3] journalist. He is the owner and sole employee of the website Today News Africa, for which he was a White House correspondent. [4] Following Ateba's repeated interruptions of press briefings, where he shouted at press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and complained about not being called on, the press office tightened rules governing the issuance of hard passes for journalists. After Ateba was excluded from the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner, he tweeted out the private phone number of WHCA president Tamara Keith.

Contents

Before coming to the United States in 2017, Ateba was a journalist in Nigeria, working for P.M. News and The NEWS magazine. He investigated the link between religion and money in Nigeria and was detained briefly in Cameroon where he was accused of spying for Boko Haram.

Early life

Ateba was born in Cameroon in 1979 or 1980. [5] [6] His father worked as a fish trader. [5]

Career

Nigeria

Ateba moved to Nigeria, where he worked at P.M. News and for nine years at The NEWS magazine. [5] [6] In 2011, he appeared in the documentary Nigeria's Millionaire Preachers about religion becoming a big business in Nigeria. By then, he had investigated the link between religion and money in Nigeria for about five years and had been assaulted at least once during those investigations. [7] He was attacked by a mob in 2009 while working on an assignment at a church in Lagos. [5]

On August 28, 2015, Ateba was arrested by Cameroonian authorities and accused of spying for Boko Haram as he investigated the living conditions of Nigerian refugees camped in the country's north. Ateba was based in Lagos and had travelled to Cameroon after receiving a grant from the International Centre for Investigative Reporting in Abuja to investigate the ordeals and suffering of Nigerians who had fled to Cameroon following Boko Haram attacks on their communities. He was released after being detained for four days. [8] [9] Ateba's arrest and detention were condemned by the Cameroon Journalism Trade Union. [3]

In January 2023, Ateba said that he had been "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..." The Washington Post was able to verify that he had been arrested and held for four days in Cameroon, but were unable to verify his other claims. [10]

United States

Ateba moved to Washington, D.C. in 2017 to report on Africa–United States relations, which he told The New York Times was motivated by an interest in the subject and the desire to leave West Africa due to dangers he experienced working as a journalist. [5]

In September 2023, Ateba shared a fake video allegedly of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy performing a belly dance. [11] The video had been digitally altered to superimpose Zelenskyy's face onto the body of Argentine belly dancer Pablo Acosta. [11] [12]

In February 2024, Ateba claimed that Russia had prevented a Ukrainian assassination attempt on Tucker Carlson. Voice of America traced the source of the claim to a YouTube video that was cited by The Intel Drop, a website that BBC journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh characterized as "a notorious pro-Kremlin disinformation website with a long history of fabricating stories aimed to disparage Ukraine." [13]

In April 2024, Ateba was included as one of the defendants in a defamation lawsuit by a man who was falsely identified as the perpetrator of the 2023 Allen, Texas mall shooting, alongside others such as Fox News, Newsmax and InfoWars personality Owen Shroyer. The man alleged the defendants had "recklessly disregarded basic journalistic safeguards and published the photo of an innocent man, branding him as a neo-Nazi murderer to his local community and the nation at large." [14]

White House correspondent

During Ateba's time as a White House correspondent, he became known for interrupting press briefings, being out of process, and complaining about not being called on to ask questions. He accused White House officials of discrimination. [10] In December 2021, Ateba questioned Jen Psaki about the Omicron-linked travel ban President Biden imposed on eight African nations. [15] In December 2022, Ateba had a tense exchange with Karine Jean-Pierre at the White House, in which he accused her of discrimination. [1]

On March 20, 2023, Ateba shouted at Karine Jean-Pierre during a press conference that included the cast of the comedy series Ted Lasso . [16] [17] Ateba said that Jean-Pierre had discriminated against him by not calling on him during her seven-month tenure as White House Press Secretary. [17] In response to Ateba's behaviour, the White House press office sought to tighten rules governing the issuance of hard passes, which allow reporters like Ateba to enter White House grounds without prior permission. [18]

In April 2023, Ateba falsely claimed he was banned from the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner. Only news organizations that employ WHCA members are allowed to buy tickets to the dinner. Ateba was unable to provide evidence he was employed by a legitimate news organization; [4] he is the owner and sole staffer of the website Today News Africa, for which he is the White House correspondent. [4] [10] Since Ateba's application to join the association was rejected, he cannot buy tickets to the event; however, another outlet could invite him as a guest. [4] Ateba tweeted out the phone number of WHCA president Tamara Keith, who had complained about his behavior; he later deleted the tweets. [10]

In June 2023, following another heated exchange between Ateba and Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House's published official video coverage of the presser omitted the portion of the event that included the exchange. White House officials blamed a technical "glitch" for the edit, and it was later restored. [10] In July 2023, the White House warned Ateba that he would risk losing access to briefings if he continued to disrupt and prevent other reporters from asking questions when called. [19] After the new policy on White House hard passes took effect on July 31, 2023, Ateba filed a lawsuit against Karine Jean-Pierre, contending that his inability to obtain press credentials amounted to discrimination. His case was dismissed in district court. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maiduguri</span> Capital city of Borno State, Nigeria

Maiduguri is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria, on the continent of Africa. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad. Maiduguri was founded in 1907 as a military outpost by the British Empire during the colonial period. As of 2022, Maiduguri is estimated to have a population of approximately two million in the metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodluck Jonathan</span> President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015

Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and was the first incumbent president in Nigerian history to concede defeat in an election and therefore allow for a peaceful transition of power.

The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor that a United States congressional committee would select which journalists could attend press conferences of President Woodrow Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boko Haram</span> Central-West African jihadist terrorist organization

Boko Haram, officially known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, is an Islamist jihadist organization based in northeastern Nigeria, which is also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group split, resulting in the emergence of a hostile faction known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwoza</span> LGA and town in Borno State, Nigeria

Gwoza is a local government area of Borno State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Gwoza, a border town "about 135 kilometres South-East of Maiduguri." The postal code of the area is 610.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boko Haram insurgency</span> Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009, when the militant Islamist and jihadist rebel group Boko Haram started an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria. The conflict is taking place within the context of long-standing issues of religious violence between Nigeria's Muslim and Christian communities, and the insurgents' ultimate aim is to establish an Islamic state in the region.

A series of assaults on businesses occurred in northeastern Nigeria on 5 and 6 January 2012, followed by attacks on police stations and government offices in the north on 20 January. Over 180 people were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enenche Akogwu</span> Nigerian journalist and cameraman

Enenche Akogwu, was a Nigerian journalist and cameraman for Channels Television. In January 2012, he was shot and killed in Kano, Nigeria while investigating a Boko Haram bombing by an unidentified gunman. His work mainly focused on human rights, politics, and war. He covered news stories across the northern region of Nigeria.

Timeline of the Boko Haram insurgency is the chronology of the Boko Haram insurgency, an ongoing armed conflict between Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government. Boko Haram have carried out many attacks against the military, police and civilians since 2009, mostly in Nigeria. The low-intensity conflict is centred on Borno State. It peaked in the mid 2010s, when Boko Haram extended their insurgency into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping</span> Kidnapping of female students in Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria

On the night of 14–15 April 2014, 276 mostly Christian female students aged from 16 to 18 were kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School at the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. Prior to the raid, the school had been closed for four weeks due to deteriorating security conditions, but the girls were in attendance in order to take final exams in physics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Mubi bombing</span>

On the evening of 1 June 2014, an improvised explosive device was set off at a football field in Mubi, Adamawa State, Nigeria. At least 40 people were killed in the attack, according to eyewitnesses. Nineteen others were injured. The perpetrators of the attack were not clear, although media reports generally blamed Boko Haram.

Religious violence in Nigeria refers to Christian-Muslim strife in modern Nigeria, which can be traced back to 1953. Today, religious violence in Nigeria is dominated by the Boko Haram insurgency, which aims to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria. Since the turn of the 21st century, 62,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed by the terrorist group Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen and other groups. The killings have been referred to as a silent genocide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State – West Africa Province</span> Militant group and branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

The Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP), officially Wilāyat Garb Ifrīqīyā, meaning "West African Province", is a militant group and administrative division of the Islamic State (IS), a Salafi jihadist militant group and unrecognised quasi-state. ISWAP is primarily active in the Chad Basin, and fights an extensive insurgency against the states of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Turkey. It is an offshoot of Boko Haram with which it has a violent rivalry; Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau killed himself in battle with ISWAP in 2021. Until March 2022, ISWAP acted as an umbrella organization for all IS factions in West Africa including the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS), although the actual ties between ISWAP and IS-GS were limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 West African offensive</span> Coalition offensive against Boko Haram

Starting in late January 2015, a coalition of West African troops launched an offensive against the Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karine Jean-Pierre</span> American political advisor and White House Press Secretary (born 1974)

Karine Jean-Pierre is an American political advisor who has served as the White House press secretary since May 13, 2022. She is the first black person and the first openly LGBT person to serve in the position. Previously, she served as the deputy press secretary to her predecessor Jen Psaki from 2021 to 2022 and as the chief of staff for U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris during the 2020 presidential campaign.

Nansok Sallah is a journalist who was killed in Nigeria preceding a major attack by the Boko Haram terrorist group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Abba</span> Cameroonian journalist

Ahmed Abba is a Cameroonian journalist, correspondent for the Hausa broadcast service operated by Radio France Internationale. He was questioned and detained for his reportage on Boko Haram and was incarcerated in Cameroon for 876 days. He was released in Yaoundé on December 22, 2017.

In May 2021, the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched an invasion of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, Nigeria, which was serving as the main base of Boko Haram, a rival jihadist rebel group. Following heavy fighting, ISWAP overran the Boko Haram troops, cornering their leader Abubakar Shekau. The two sides entered negotiations about Boko Haram's surrender during which Shekau committed suicide, possibly detonating himself with a suicide vest. Shekau's death was regarded as a major event by outside observers, as he had been one of the main driving forces in the Islamist insurgency in Nigeria and neighboring countries since 2009.

References

  1. 1 2 Carbonaro, Giulia. "African Journalist Accuses Press Secretary Jean-Pierre of 'Discrimination'". Newsweek . Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  2. ↑ Temitope, Yakubu (15 April 2019). "Atiku gets 21-day ultimatum to return to Cameroon". TheCable . Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Cameroonian Journalists Union, CPJ, Others Condemn Arrest Of Nigerian-Based Journalist". Premium Times . 30 August 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Baragona, Justin (3 April 2023). "White House Gadfly Simon Ateba Falsely Claims He's Banned From Dinner". The Daily Beast . Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.,
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Bernstein, Joseph (26 July 2023). "Why Won't Simon Ateba Stop Shouting?". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  6. 1 2 Rakotomalala, Lova (6 September 2017). "Simon Ateba Is Not Ahmed Abba, but He Too Has Experienced Persecution as a Journalist in Cameroon". Global Voices. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  7. ↑ "Unreported World". Channel 4 . Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  8. ↑ "Nigeria-based journalist arrested in Cameroon, accused of spying for Boko Haram". Premium Times . 29 August 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  9. ↑ "Cameroon frees journalist arrested for investigating condition of Nigerian refugees". Premium Times . 2 September 2015. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Farhi, Paul (8 July 2023). "Simon Ateba, the reporter making himself the story at the White House". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  11. 1 2 Wrona, Aleksandra (21 September 2023). "Volodymyr Zelenskyy Flaunts Crazy Belly-Dancing Moves in Viral Video?". Snopes . Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Baig, Rachel (26 September 2023). "Fact check: Fake Zelenskyy video raises fears of AI disinfo". Deutsche Welle . Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "Fake Ukrainian Assassination Attempt on Tucker Carlson Hits Millions on X via Russian Disinfo Laundering Scheme". Polygraph.info . 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  14. ↑ Kalmbacher, Colin (12 April 2024). "'Recklessly disregarded basic journalistic safeguards': Man sues Fox News and several conservative media outlets after he was falsely identified as a neo-Nazi mass shooter". Law & Crime . Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  15. ↑ "Biden Administration to End Omicron Travel Restrictions on African Countries". National Review. 24 December 2021. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  16. ↑ "Reporter disrupts White House press briefing featuring Ted Lasso cast". The Independent. 20 March 2023. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  17. 1 2 Samuels, Brett (20 March 2023). "White House, reporters push back on disruptive journalist at press briefing". The Hill. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  18. ↑ Baragona, Justin (27 March 2023). "White House Wants New Rules to Shut Down Briefing Room Chaos". The Daily Beast . Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  19. ↑ Farhi, Paul (12 July 2023). "White House warns reporter Simon Ateba about his press-room outbursts". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  20. ↑ Umanah, Ufonobong (8 December 2023). "Africa Reporter Loses First Amendment Suit Against White House". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.