Introduction
Simon Ateba (born 1979 or 1980) is a Cameroonian journalist who is the owner and White House correspondent of the website Today News Africa.
Early life
Ateba was born in Cameroon in 1979 or 1980. His father worked as a fish trader.
Career
Ateba moved to Nigeria, where he worked at P.M. News and for nine years at The NEWS magazine.
Ateba appeared in the documentary Nigeria's Millionaire Preachers about religion becoming a big business in Nigeria in 2011. By then, he had investigated the link between religion and money in Nigeria for about five years and had been beaten up at least once during those investigations. He was attacked by a mob in 2009 while working on an assignment at a church in Lagos.
On August 28, 2015, Ateba was arrested by Cameroonian authorities and accused of spying for Boko Haram as he investigated the living conditions of Nigerian refugees camped in the country's north. Ateba was based in Lagos and had travelled to Cameroon after receiving a grant from the International Centre for Investigative Reporting in Abuja to investigate the ordeals and suffering of Nigerians who had fled to Cameroon following Boko Haram attacks on their communities. He was released after being detained for four days. Ateba's arrest and detention were condemned by the Cameroon Journalism Trade Union.
Ateba moved to Washington, D.C. in 2017 to report on Africa–United States relations, which he told The New York Times was motivated by an interest in the subject and the desire to leave West Africa due to dangers he experienced working as a journalist.
In January 2023, Ateba claimed to have been "Attacked by pirates on the Gulf of Guinea with an AK47 to my head, kidnapped in Nigeria, dumped in the woods & left for dead, arrested in Cameroon during investigation & kept in dark cell only to be sidelined at the White House..." The Washington Post was able to verify that he had been arrested and held for four days in Cameroon, but were unable to verify his other claims.
In September 2023, Ateba shared a fake video allegedly of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy performing a belly dance. The video had been digitally altered to superimpose Zelenskyy's face onto Argentinian belly dancer Pablo Acosta's body.
White House correspondent
In December 2021, Ateba questioned Jen Psaki about the Omicron-linked travel ban President Biden imposed on eight African nations. In December 2022, Ateba had a tense exchange with Karine Jean-Pierre at the White House, in which he accused her of discrimination.He is known for interrupting during public sessions, out of process, complaining about not being called to ask questions, leading to accusations of censorship.
On March 20, 2023, Ateba shouted at Karine Jean-Pierre during a Press Conference that included the cast of the comedy series Ted Lasso. Ateba said that Jean-Pierre had discriminated against him by not calling on him during her seven-month tenure as White House Press Secretary.
In response to Ateba's behaviour, the White House press office sought to tighten rules governing the issuance of so-called "hard passes," which allow reporters like Ateba to enter White House grounds without prior permission.
In April 2023, Ateba falsely claimed he was banned from the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner. Only news organizations that employ WHCA members are allowed to buy tickets to the dinner. Ateba was unable to provide evidence he was employed by a legitimate news organization; he is the owner and sole staffer of the website Today News Africa, for which he is the White House correspondent. Since Ateba's application to join the association was rejected, he cannot buy tickets to the event; however, another outlet could invite him as a guest. Ateba tweeted out the phone number of WHCA president Tamara Keith, who had complained about his behavior; he later deleted the tweets.
In June 2023, following another heated exchange between Ateba and Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House's published official video coverage of the presser omitted the portion of the event that included the exchange. White House officials blamed a technical "glitch" for the edit, and it was later restored.
In July 2023, the White House warned Ateba that he would risk losing access to briefings if he continued to disrupt and prevent other reporters from asking questions when called.
Personal life
As of 2023, Ateba lives in Mount Pleasant, Washington, D.C.