Ben Rhodes

Well, it's a welcome and need a change.

That's for sure.

Um, I just want to close with your talk about your work on press freedom.

It's very difficult out there for journalists.

I mean, the international federation of journalists says that 128 journalists and media workers were killed in 2025 alone.

Uh, on this show, we've highlighted the Jimmy Lai conviction in Hong Kong.

We've talked about all the journalists who were killed, uh, covering the war in Gaza, Gazan journalists.

That is, um, among many other stories.

Uh, there's the gutting of the Pentagon press core here at home.

Um,

Are we at an all-time low, in your opinion, in terms of journalist safety and freedom?

Yeah.

I also think there's just so much ignorance in the US about what a journalist is and does.

I mean, I saw people, I saw a bunch of people on Twitter over the weekend, including like smart people that I respect saying things like, boy, you log on to X and it feels like the Iran protests are the biggest story in the world and they're being covered and talked about everywhere.

And then you go to the mainstream media and you're not seeing that.

And I'm just like, guys.

Retweeting a protester's video is easy and it's great and I'm glad you're doing it and the algorithm feeds you more, but journalists can't go to Iran because they'll get thrown in prison like my friend did.

Well, I also think people don't really respect and appreciate how hard the last elements you said there are to do, which is the honest, steely, and accurately part.

Because on social media, people don't care about that.

You can just say whatever you want, right?