Former Washington Post editor Len Downie sounds a warning to the American press:
“I say up front, openly and proudly, that when I WIN the Presidency of the United States, they and others of the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events,” Donald Trump posted on Truth Social in September in an attack on NBC News. “The Fake News Media should pay a big price for what they have done to our once great Country.”
What could Trump do to the news media and their ability to inform the American people? Judging by what he did in his first term, plenty.
As president, he habitually attacked the news media and individual journalists as “fake news” and “the enemy of the people,” undermining public trust in the fact-finding press.
The irony of him saying that when we now have testimony under oath that he was personally involved in manufacturing dirt on his opponents in collusion with the owner of the National Enquirer is too thick to slice. He literally concocted fake news about Marco Rubio. Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton. And the first two are enthusiastically endorsing him for president.
Anyway, Downie goes on to lay out all the ways in which trump assaulted the free press during his term and it is lengthy, from his endless verbal abuse to attempting to use the DOJ to punish media companies he believed were politically hostile to him. And he contrasts that with the Biden administration’s restoration of respect for the press and traditional norms. (Not that that has stopped the elite media from whining like little twits over “access” which they always do.)
And there’s worse to come:
“Trump will do everything he can” to restrict press access to the White House and the executive branch, [executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Bruce D. ]Brown, told me. He is also concerned about more Trump-inspired libel suits against the news media, IRS reviews of the tax-exempt status of nonprofit news organizations, a return of Justice Department investigations of reporters and news sources, and federal regulatory pressure whenever there is a major change in media ownership.
In a second Trump presidency, the Justice Department could also punish reporters for refusing to name confidential sources or prosecute them under the Espionage Act for reporting about classified information. The IRS could audit journalists’ taxes and remove the tax-exempt status of the growing number of nonprofit national, regional and local news organizations. The Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the FCC could investigate news media owners.
Trump and his political allies could harass reporters and news organizations with expensive nuisance libel suits. Justice Department guidelines for police treatment of reporters covering demonstrations could be rescinded.
“His first term would prove to be a warm-up act,” said Frank Sesno, a George Washington University professor and press expert who covered the White House for many years. “A second term would be a wild ride. I’m expecting a no-holds-barred approach. They could shut down the White House press office and throw the reporters out. There could be retribution if you do a tough story about the president. Trump and his people,” Sesno added, “don’t accept that a fundamental function of the press is accountability. They don’t want to be held accountable.”
[…]
Gabe Rottman, director of RCFP’s Technology and Press Freedom Project, said the Department of Homeland Security could again step up its screening of reporters at border points, questioning them about their activities, news sources and notes. Adam A. Marshall, an RCFP government transparency lawyer, said he worries that it could become even more difficult to obtain federal government information under the Freedom of Information Act.
Downie was famous for saying he never voted because he wanted to maintain his objectivity. Granting his sincerity, that was always a bit unrealistic. But if what a journalist cares about is objectivity, there is no greater time than now to tell the full truth about what Trump is, what he’s done and what he’s doing and repeat it relentlessly. There is nothing biased about simply telling the truth. It’s their job. It’s also a matter of their own survival.
By the way, there is a model for what Trump is planning:
Prime minister Viktor Orbán, whom Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has deemed a “press freedom predator”, has built a media empire in the last 12 years since 2010 whose outlets follow his party’s orders. They are owned by the Kesma Foundation, which consists of around 500 outlets and gets approximately 85% of the state advertising revenue. Independent media maintain major positions in the market, but they are subject to political, economic, and regulatory pressures.
The chilling effect is very strong, leading to self-censorship among journalists and editors, even though independent journalists are used to being subjects of governmental smear campaigns. The government regularly accuses critical media of disseminating false information and of receiving funding from George Soros, a billionaire of Hungarian and Jewish origin. In addition to this, journalists critical to the government are often harassed online by ruling party supporters. They are attacked by trolls, flooding them with comments with many personal elements, especially to female journalists.
Representatives of the government do not speak to independent journalists, sometimes they are even forbidden from events. This situation has slightly developed since the elections.