Journalist calls out US spokesperson’s messages during press briefing

LONDON: Journalist Liam Cosgrove criticized US foreign policy spokesperson Matt Miller during a press briefing on Tuesday, accusing the US of hypocrisy for its stance on the Middle East conflict.

During the briefing, Cosgrove questioned the US administration’s moral authority while addressing the escalating violence in the Middle East, which he argued risked a clash between nuclear powers such as Iran and Russia.

Cosgrove pressed Miller, saying: “My question for you is, you know we often hear in response to these concerns that while Putin, Khomeini, you know they’re terrorists, as if they’re too inherently evil or immoral for us to negotiate with. But meanwhile, this administration has financed a genocide in Gaza for the last year, and every day you’re up there denying accountability for it. So, what gives you the right to lecture other countries on their morals?”

Miller avoided addressing the accusation directly, responding that he would take “policy questions” but declined to comment on Cosgrove’s assertion.

“If you want to give a speech there’re plenty of places in Washington where you can give a speech,” Miller said.

Cosgrove replied: “People are sick of the bullshit in here. It (the Gaza war) is a genocide. You are abetting it. And you are risking a nuclear war in Ukraine for this proxy war.”

The clip of the confrontation quickly gained traction online, with many users praising Cosgrove for his outspokenness.

“Finally someone had the guts to tell things we are screaming to our phones for a year now,” one user said.

Another thanked the Cosgrove for “saying what most people of conscience feel.”

The heated exchange between the correspondent for The Grayzone blog and Miller underscored the growing frustration journalists face when covering complex conflicts with competing narratives.

Since the conflict between Hamas and Israel reignited more than a year ago, media outlets have been under constant scrutiny, accused of both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian bias.

With international journalists largely blocked from entering Gaza and Israeli authorities accused of restricting media freedom, many media organizations argue that relying on official sources has only deepened the divide in narratives, further eroding public trust in news reporting and fueling the spread of misinformation.

“Israeli forces have systematically restricted coverage of Gaza and targeted journalists who take enormous risks to report the truth. This has directly impacted global access to information on the war, which is critical to the public interest. Journalists must be allowed to do their jobs, and the world has the right to know what’s happening in Gaza,” said Rebecca Vincent, director of campaigns at Reporters Without Borders.