Brian James Karem (born March 10, 1961) is an American journalist and author working as the
White House correspondent
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 t ...
for ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'' and political analyst for
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
. He also hosts the "Just Ask The Question" podcast.
In 1991, Karem received the
National Press Club
Organizations
A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...
Freedom of the Press award for refusing to reveal his sources in a story related to the killing of a police officer in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
Early life and education
Karem was born on March 10, 1961, in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
. His great-grandfather emigrated to the United States from
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. After finishing
Seneca High School in 1979, he attended the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
in
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
, Missouri, playing football and graduating with a degree in journalism in 1983. The same year, he married his wife, Pamela J. Russell.
Career
In 1983, Karem joined ''
The Montgomery County Courier'' in
Conroe, Texas, as sports editor.
After leaving the Courier in 1984, Karem switched to television joining
WKYT-TV
WKYT-TV (channel 27) is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Winchester Road (US 60) near I-75 on ...
in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
, as a political reporter.
He returned to Texas in 1986 to work at
KMOL-TV in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
. In 1990, Karem was jailed in contempt of court for refusing to reveal the name of a source who arranged an interview with a suspect involved in killing a police officer. The
refused Karem's appeal for release, stating "Karem has no right to refuse to disclose the names of his confidential sources." Karem's additional appeals were denied first by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and then the United States Supreme Court. Karem was released after he complied with authorities following a phone call with his source, Debora Ledesma. Ledesma, however claimed that she never asked for confidentiality, contradicting Karem's claims.
During the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, he was one of the first reporters to enter
Kuwait City
Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...
after its liberation. During the National Drug Summit in San Antonio, Texas in 1992, Karem asked then President
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
to comment on claims referring to the event as a "joke". Karem lost his job after the incident but later gained an interview with
Sam Donaldson
Samuel Andrew Donaldson Jr. (born March 11, 1934) is an American former reporter and news anchor, serving with ABC News from 1967 to 2009. He is best known as the network's White House Correspondent (1977–1989 and 1998–99) and as a panelist ...
on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
and a mention from ''The Tonight Show'' host
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
.
Following his termination from KMOL, Karem joined the television program,
America's Most Wanted
''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Alternative Entertainment division of Fox Corporation. At the time of i ...
as a producer and correspondent.
While covering the
War on drugs
The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...
, he became the first American journalist allowed inside
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed "the king of cocaine", Escobar is the wealthiest criminal in h ...
's palatial prison after Escobar's escape from Colombian authorities. In 1997, Karem joined
WDAF-TV
WDAF-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Summit Street in the Signal Hi ...
in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
, as an investigative reporter. While at WDAF-TV, Karem alleges that his superiors suppressed a story on the pesticide chemical, Dursban, prompting him to leave the station.
Between 2004 and 2018, Karem served as the executive editor of the ''
Montgomery County Sentinel
The ''Montgomery County Sentinel'' was the oldest continuously published newspaper in Montgomery County, Maryland. As one of the smallest local newspapers, in terms of circulation, it was based in Rockville from its first print in 1855 until its ...
'' in
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
, and authored the ''Editor's Notebook,'' a column covering
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-design ...
.
Between 2012 and 2015, he was also the publisher for MoCoVox.Com, an online content provider.
While covering the Trump presidency, Karem gained attention for his interactions with administration officials. On June 27, 2017, Karem confronted then deputy
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on "inflammatory" comments about the performance of the press while covering President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
. One year later, Karem confronted Sanders again on the Administration's policy of seizing children from their parents at United States border crossings, saying "Come on, Sarah, you're a parent! Don't you have any empathy for what these people are going through? They have less than you do. Sarah, come on, seriously."
On July 11, 2019, following an event at the
White House Rose Garden, Karem called conservative social media representatives in attendance "a group of people eager for
demonic possession
Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and reli ...
." The remark prompted
Sebastian Gorka, a former deputy assistant to President Trump and now a radio talk-show host, to confront Karem, yelling across the lawn: "And you're a journalist, right?" Karem replied with what some consider a taunt saying, "Come on over here and talk to me, brother. We can go outside and have a long conversation." Accusing Karem of issuing a threat, Gorka walked across the lawn yelling, "You're not a journalist! You're a punk!" in front of a row of White House media and cameras.
Following the July 11 incident, the
White House Press Office suspended Karem's press pass on August 2, 2019. Karem filed a lawsuit in response before
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District of ...
, Judge
Rudolph Contreras
Rudolph Contreras (born December 6, 1962) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He also serves as Presiding Judge on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
In Dec ...
blocked the suspension. On June 5, 2020, Judge
David S. Tatel of the
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled the White House Press Office wrongly suspended Karem's press pass.
Music
Karem is the lead singer of the Rhythm Bandits Band, playing shows in
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-design ...
.
Awards
* National Press Club Freedom of the Press Award
* Pieringer Award for Valor and Journalist Excellence
Books
* ''Shield the Source,'' (New Horizon Press; 1992) .
* ''Above the Law,'' (Pinnacle; 1998) .
* ''Warning Signs: A Guidebook for Parents: How to Read the Early Signals of Low Self-Esteem, Addiction, and Hidden Violence in Your Kids,'' co-author with John Kelly. (LifeLine Press; 1998) .
* ''Spin Control: Essays and Short Stories,'' (Brookeville Press; 2000) .
* ''Innocent Victims,'' (Pinnacle; 2001) .
* ''Marked for Death,'' (Avon; 2005) .
See also
*
Trump administration family separation policy
References
External links
Brian J. Karem BioHarperCollins Publishers
Brian J. KaremMuck Rack profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karem, Brian
Living people
Mass media people from Louisville, Kentucky
American male journalists
CNN people
Playboy people
American television reporters and correspondents
American non-fiction writers
University of Missouri alumni
Journalists imprisoned for refusing to reveal sources
1961 births
American people of Lebanese descent