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Joanna Taylor
Apr 17, 2020
Twitter/indy100
People are praising New Zealand's Prime Minister for her compassionate response to a reporter forgetting his question in the middle of a press conference.
When the NZ Herald's Jason Walls struggled for words, PM Jacinda Ardern responded:
We'll come back to you, no problem. I do worry about your sleep at the moment, though, Jason.
Ardern's kind comment was an instant hit in America, where President Trump's explosive relationship with the press is well documented.
At at time when journalists are under attack by US President, expelled by China, Egypt and censored by many authori… https://t.co/eYh2qZ7Ik8— Joyce Karam (@Joyce Karam) 1586883668
@Joyce_Karam @jacindaardern is the leader we need in the U.S. I so wish she were our president.— Jim Spears 🌊 🌈⚜ (@Jim Spears 🌊 🌈⚜) 1586883681
@Joyce_Karam Wow she didn't insult him! I've forgotten what it's like to see a normal press conference with a world leader.— Jen Giacone (@Jen Giacone) 1586883627
President Trump recently erupted at CBS reporter Paula Reid, shouting "you know you're a fake" over her question.
Here’s @PaulaReidCBS doing her job & pressing Pres. Trump about his administration's early actions on the coronavir… https://t.co/jEYP0VrAOt— Vladimir Duthiers (@Vladimir Duthiers) 1586818792
Trump has also accused reporters of asking questions that are "nasty" and "threatening".
New Zealand were also praised for providing a sign language interpreter to cover press conferences, something which the White House is yet to do.
@Joyce_Karam Look at that: A sign language interpreter at the press conference! Deaf Americans have sent THOUSANDS… https://t.co/NXOHIHFLsD— Little Hippie House (@Little Hippie House) 1586926137
Interpreters in New Zealand are actually pretty iconic.
@lilhippiehouse @Joyce_Karam Our sign language interpreters are World Famous in NZ. One of the classics was when ou… https://t.co/WcGaniHEaK— tie a knot in it (@tie a knot in it) 1586991155
Kiwis are proud of the kind gesture by their "incredible" Prime Minister.
@Joyce_Karam You can't have her 😂, she's ours and doing incredible things to support and care for our country. 💗 sh… https://t.co/lYT5aqtL2z— GillianP (@GillianP) 1587071936
@Joyce_Karam Can only happen in @newzealand. Best country to live in.— Ajay Nabh (@Ajay Nabh) 1587071052
And the good news is that Jason has, indeed, gotten enough sleep recently.
I can report, after a couple of days off, that I’ve had plenty of sleep; thanks for your concern Prime Minister. https://t.co/1J0e4CgiJt— Jason Walls (@Jason Walls) 1586980292
It's heartening that even in a global crisis, some of our leaders are remembering to show a little humanity.