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---
title: J.K. Rowling Channels George Orwell to Denounce White House
description: J.K. Rowling is speaking out against the White House&#x27;s suspension of CNN corespondent Jim Acosta.
canonical: https://time.com/5449244/jk-rowling-george-orwell-jim-acosta-white-house-suspension/
author: Megan McCluskey
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2018-11-08T17:54:32.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:55:54.256Z
og:title: J.K. Rowling Channels George Orwell to Slam White House
og:description: The author is speaking out against Jim Acosta&#x27;s press pass suspension
og:url: https://time.com/5449244/jk-rowling-george-orwell-jim-acosta-white-house-suspension/
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og:image:alt: JK-Rowling-Jim-Acosta
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twitter:title: J.K. Rowling Channels George Orwell to Slam White House
twitter:description: The author is speaking out against Jim Acosta&#x27;s press pass suspension
twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7c94b5a8508ad9ca/69893e99656a3fc015bd5ec4/jk-rowling-jim-acosta.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=1200&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
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# J.K. Rowling Channels George Orwell to Speak Out Against Jim Acosta's White House Suspension


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## Megan McCluskey


Staff Writer

Nov 8, 2018 5:54 PM UTC

![J.K. Rowling poses at 'Harry Potter and The Cursed Child parts 1 & 2' on Broadway Opening Night at The Lyric Theatre on April 22, 2018 in New York City.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7c94b5a8508ad9ca/69893e99656a3fc015bd5ec4/jk-rowling-jim-acosta.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

J.K. Rowling poses at 'Harry Potter and The Cursed Child parts 1 & 2' on Broadway Opening Night at The Lyric Theatre on April 22, 2018 in New York City.

J.K. Rowling poses at 'Harry Potter and The Cursed Child parts 1 & 2' on Broadway Opening Night at The Lyric Theatre on April 22, 2018 in New York City.Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

![Megan McCluskey](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf85e445233dc41d2/698940894ee2620cd9313802/m_mccluskey.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)


![Megan McCluskey](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf85e445233dc41d2/698940894ee2620cd9313802/m_mccluskey.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Megan McCluskey


Staff Writer

Nov 8, 2018 5:54 PM UTC

[J.K. Rowling](http://time.com/5399598/jk-rowling-hermione-name-theory/) is speaking out against the [White House’s suspension of Jim Acosta](http://time.com/5448651/white-house-cnn-jim-acosta-suspended/) following a [heated confrontation](http://time.com/5448101/trump-clashes-acosta-journalists-press-conference/) between the CNN corespondent and President Donald Trump during a Wednesday news conference.

The _Harry Potter_ author took to Twitter on Thursday to respond to a [tweet](https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1060374680991883265) from Sarah Huckabee Sanders in which the White House press secretary defended the decision to revoke Acosta’s press pass.

“We stand by our decision to revoke this individual’s hard pass,” Sanders captioned a clip from the press conference. “We will not tolerate the inappropriate behavior clearly documented in this video.”

Invoking the words of a fellow writer, Rowling cited George Orwell’s _1984_ to denounce the White House’s actions. “‘And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth,'” Rowling quoted Orwell’s classic dystopian novel.

_1984_ famously envisions a terrifying totalitarian future in which the government controls every aspect of human existence, resulting in the total loss of freedom.

> [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/1060510513401135104)

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