A Free Press is essential to a free society.

I do not believe it is hyperbole to say that a Free Press may not survive the current president's term. It's an uncomfortable reality of our current situation. Donald Trump has a contempt for a Free Press that reports on him accurately. All bad news is labeled “Fake News.” The only news that he allows is unquestioningly loyal news coverage. On May 17, 2025, he unleashed his latest attack on the free press in a late-night screed on his social media platform, Truth Social, attacking ABC for their reporting on the Qatari plane deal. The President seemed to suggest he might seek a defamation action against the network. In December, ABC settled a civil action Mr. Trump brought against the network for comments that George Stephanopoulos had made while questioning a Republican member of Congress about their support of Mr. Trump despite the verdict in the E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit. The settlement stunned many at the time, not only the amount of $16 million that ABC would donate to Donald Trump’s presidential library foundation but also the fact that they didn’t fight the litigation in court, a case ABC was likely to win. Trump is possibly close to reaching another settlement against CBS for what he claims is a misleading edit by the network in relation to an interview they conducted with Vice President Kamala Harris on 60 Minutes. The network is eager to get the action behind them because Paramount, CBS's parent company, is seeking a merger with Skydance Media, and that merger will require regulatory approval. In his past campaigns, Mr. Trump has suggested federal action to revoke the licenses of those who report news that this displeases him. While at the time many took these statements as mere hyperbole, Mr. Trump’s actions, along with his installation of a loyalist at the FCC, suggest that those might not have been idle threats. 

            In conclusion, my biggest concern is not that Trump will shut down certain media organizations or revoke their over-the-air affiliates’ licenses; it is that it will make news organizations less likely to even report on the actions of the administration. They will fear a weaponized government that will bring punitive action for reporting the actions of the President of the United States. The ability of the free press to report without fear or favor on the powerful is essential to a free society, and we must not lose it.  

Location: Alabama, USA

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