Eroding Press Freedoms in America
Documenting the Trump Administration's Assault on Journalism and the First Amendment
A free press is one of the pillars of democracy - Nelson Mandela
Journalists have an essential responsibility in a democracy. Their job is to report the news, monitor power, uncover injustice, tell compelling stories that dismay and delight, sustain communities, and fact-check politicians and other public figures. They should be beholden to no one and ensure accuracy and fairness without bias. According to the Society of Professional Journalists, ethical journalism ensures the free exchange of fair, accurate, and comprehensive information.
The first amendment of constitution of the United States states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
According to Reporters Without Borders,
the first month of Donald Trump’s second presidential term has been a tumultuous whirlwind for journalism. The newly elected president, his administration, and his political allies have conducted a rapid series of attacks on press freedom that amount to a monumental assault on freedom of information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the US Congress to defend the nonpartisan value of press freedom against this onslaught intended to weaken Americans’ First Amendment rights.
Additionally, the US has fallen on the RSF World Press Freedom Index in the last three years and now ranks 55th out of 180 countries and territories—its lowest-ever ranking.
The Associated Press Blocked
The White House blocked the Associated Press from official events after demanding that the news agency alter its style on the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump has ordered to be renamed the Gulf of America. The Associated Press then sued three Trump administration officials, citing a violation of First and Fifth Amendment rights.
AP reporters and photographers still have access to the White House. However, they’ve been kicked out of the press pool, allowing a smaller group of journalists to cover the president in events with limited space — like in the Oval Office — or when he travels, including on Air Force One. Zeke Miller, the AP’s chief White House correspondent, also wrote in court filings that AP journalists have been barred from events with broader access than just the pool.
Several journalism organizations, including the White House Correspondents Association, have denounced the ban and called on the Trump administration to reverse course.
Legal intimidation
Trump settled a lawsuit with ABC parent company Disney but continues to sue CBS, the Des Moines Register, Gannett, and the Pulitzer Center over unfavorable coverage. This has a chilling effect on freedom of the press.
Limiting Access to Information
Trump Administration officials have removed thousands of pages from the websites of critical agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Justice, and the communications teams of several government agencies have been barred from speaking publicly. Elon Musk’s DOGE team is also reportedly trying to hide its records and communications from scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which allows journalists to investigate government activity.
Hiding these resources harms the American people’s access to valuable information, prevents journalists from doing their jobs, and erodes public accountability.
Politicization of the FCC
Donald Trump appointed Brendan Carr, co-author of Project 2025, the conservative campaign plan to reshape the government, to serve as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which has broad jurisdiction over broadcasting and telecommunications.
Carr has wasted no time enacting a seemingly political campaign of investigations, explicit threats against media organizations, and implicit threats against their parent company’s business interests. Carr has launched a series of investigations into outlets like ABC, NBC, and others over their election coverage. Additionally, he has launched an investigation into Comcast over “promoting invidious forms of DEI.”
On January 29, Carr announced an inquiry into public broadcasters NPR and PBS, alleging their sponsorships may violate the terms of their non-commercial broadcast licenses. In his letter to NPR and PBS presidents, Carr explicitly linked his inquiry to ongoing efforts in Congress to defund the two media organizations.
Personal attacks and intimidation
Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who Trump brought in to drastically reduce the size and scope of the federal government, publicly insult journalists by name for their reporting and call for their removal. President Donald Trump on Thursday called for MSNBC to “force” host Nicolle Wallace to resign for her comments on the young boy he honored at his address to Congress.
Despite claiming to be a “free speech absolutist,” Musk called for CBS’s 60 Minutes staff to receive “a long prison sentence” for interviewing a critic of his policies.
Turning the media into his mouthpiece
The administration is limiting journalists’ physical access to government information by restricting access to its pool reports. It is also allowing ideologically friendly content creators to apply for access to the White House and Pentagon while ending the longstanding residencies of NBC News, The New York Times, National Public Radio, and Politico.
According to the Guardian,
You know we’re in trouble when Fox News emerges as the great defender of freedom of the press. But such was the case when Jacqui Heinrich, a senior political correspondent at Fox, responded to the news that Trump’s White House would now handpick the reporters who get to cover the president in small settings, with the post: “This move does not give the power back to the people – it gives power to the White House.” Heinrich was specifically responding to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s Orwellian claim that letting Donald Trump choose who would cover him was designed to restore power “back to the American people”.
As the White House handpicks members of the press pool, questions for the president amount to fluffy valentines.
Pardons for violence against journalists
Trump pardoned over a dozen individuals charged with or convicted of violent crimes against journalists at the US Capitol during the insurrection on January 6, 2021.
What can we do?
Support Legislation: Advocate for laws that protect journalists, such as the PRESS Act, which shields reporters from being compelled to reveal their sources. Call your representatives and ask them to work on legislation that strengthens the First Amendment and press freedoms that are under attack by the Trump Administration.
Support Press Advocacy Groups like:
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes worldwide press freedom. We defend journalists' right to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.
Freedom of the Press Foundation protects journalists and their sources.
Support student journalism and the Student Press Law Center, which promotes, supports, and defends student journalists' and their advisers' First Amendment and free press rights. Founded in 1974, the nonprofit, nonpartisan SPLC is based in Washington, D.C.
Support independent news outlets that are not altering their coverage of this administration. I wrote about this in a previous post.
A few notable journalists have left the corporate media rather than be forced to self-censor. One of those is Jim Acosta, who was famous for his time on CNN and now has his own Substack. There are many others on Substack and other platforms who have left major publications due to the press freedom / media ownership conflict.
It is important that we support the First Amendment and a robust free press by spreading awareness that our own government is trampling on one of our fundamental constitutional rights, a free and fair press.
*Apologies to my readers for going dark for so long. The current barrage of news from this administration, which attempts to destroy just about everything, put me in survival mode. My need to say something about journalism prompted this SOS, but it is not the only SOS—the attacks are relentless and from all sides. We must speak up and resist now, before it is too late.
I am completely new to this so bare with me. I am OLD and blind and have lived through a lot. I have done my protesting, my marching and everything else in my days. The only thing I can say to people now is:
IF NOT NOW WHEN ???
IF NOT US, THEN WHO ???