State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert mentioned America's Freedom of the Press to Russian reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Nauert had called on a reporter to ask a question during the briefing. Not being familiar with the man, she asked his name. He said both his name and publication, a Russian publication.
Nauert then asked for a show of hands for how many Russian reporters were in attendance for curiosity.
"Let's just do a show of hands here, how many folks do we have from Russian media?" Nauert asked.
There were three. Nauert had called on all of them.
"See! Freedom of the Press! It's a good thing, isn't it?" Nauert said.
"Yes, it is," many reporters, including the Russian. said.
"We love that, so welcome," Nauert said, before the reporter asked his question.
Russian reporters have clashed with press officials at the State Department in the past, including when a reporter from RT had an argument with former State Department spokesman John Kirby about how RT was funded by the Russian government. Media outlets that are funded by the Kremlin have been criticized for having little editorial independence from the Russian government, and are criticized as being propaganda tools.