Trump Launches 'Hall of Shame' on White House Website to Name and Shame Female Reporters He Disagrees With

The White House has launched a page on its website called the 'Hall of Shame', listing media outlets and journalists it claims have misrepresented US President Donald Trump.

The page identifies organisations such as The Washington Post, CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, and The Independent as 'media offenders of the week' for allegedly misreporting the President's actions, including his controversial comments about six Democratic members of Congress.

According to The Washington Post, the initiative also categorises individual reporters' work under offences like 'bias', 'lie', and 'left wing lunacy.'

However, one thing noticeable is that it seems to have been mostly targeting female reporters more.

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What's in Trump's Hall of Shame

The Hall of Shame page displays a database of articles, noting both the publication and the reporter involved.

For example, The Washington Post was listed as the top offender for stories including coverage of the US Coast Guard's temporary decision to no longer classify swastikas and nooses as hate symbols. This report, which earned the offense category 'Lie,' was co-authored by female reporters Michelle Boorstein and Tara Copp.

The White House maintains that 'every order President Trump has issued has been lawful' and argues that reporting implying otherwise misrepresented his actions. Visitors to the site are also encouraged to sign up for a newsletter promising weekly updates on the 'truth.'

Is Trump Targeting Female Reporters?

Alongside institutional criticism, Trump has made repeated personal attacks against female journalists.

On 14 November, when a Bloomberg reporter asked him a question aboard Air Force One, he responded, 'Quiet, piggy.'

Later in the week, he called an ABC reporter 'a terrible person and a terrible reporter', while describing her network as 'fake news.'

Shortly after, he referred to a New York Times reporter as 'a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out' and called a CBS News reporter 'a stupid person' in response to questions about government vetting of Afghan refugees.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the President's remarks at a briefing, saying he's only confronting journalists directly. This defence failed to acknowledge the gendered nature of several high-profile insults, which included derogatory comments about physical appearance and intelligence directed specifically at women.

Based on the full list of reporters provided, 22 individual female reporters and 25 individual male reporters were named. However, when considering the institutional listings where the staff is cited as a group (e.g., 'The BBC Staff'), the focus on individual women for specific offenses remains stark.

Of the 47 individual journalists named, 22 are female (approximately 47%). Here is the breakdown of the female reporters named and the alleged offense categories for the reports they contributed to:

The female reporters singled out on the site were often targeted for reports related to immigration, health, and policy disputes. For instance, Associated Press reporters Ali Swenson and Lauran Neergaard were cited for 'False Claim, Lie, and Malpractice' for a report on the President's claims about Tylenol and vaccines.

ABC News political commentator Ana Navarro was listed under 'Left-wing lunacy' for comments about 'Alligator Alcatraz,' while CBS News reporter Gabriela Vidal was cited for 'Bias' for describing a deported illegal alien with two dozen arrests as a 'Colorado Grandfather.'

History of Derogatory Remarks Against Journalists

Trump's pattern of targeting journalists has continued throughout his Presidency, and by extension, the White House.

So far, the administration has criticised major outlets, including the Associated Press, ABC News, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. While the website initially included Fox News, the page was removed after the network objected to a reporter being misattributed.

Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, commented on the move, 'People understand the obvious conflict inherent in a presidential administration appointing itself the arbiter of media bias, and I expect that after the initial wave of publicity, few Americans will be paying attention to this latest stunt. The gimmick is wearing thin.'

Stern also emphasised that Trump's objections appear focused less on media bias and more on 'journalists not flattering him and regurgitating his lies.'

While the initiative targets both institutions and individuals, the focus on female reporters has drawn particular attention. Experts argue that such attacks may discourage women, who happen to be the first responders to Trump's policies, from engaging in investigative reporting or asking challenging questions.

The White House did not provide further comment on the page beyond its launch.