Attacking Public Press: Trump’s Media Censorship Campaign
President Trump has been very vocal about dismissing any criticism directed at him and his choices throughout the short time he has so far served as president this term. His rejection of criticism has led him to make efforts in censoring public media and journalism. Whether it be suing news outlets for defamation of character, restricting journalism, defunding public broadcasting, or writing posts on his social media platform Truth Social to criticize those who speak out against him, Trump has made one of his main presidential focuses: censorship.
The Letter
Following the Trump Administration's refusal of the release of Epstein files, more information about Trump’s relationship with Epstein came to light in a recent story published by The Wall Street Journal. The article published describes a sexually suggestive letter that allegedly bore Trump’s signature. This letter was included in a 2003 album created for Epstein’s 50th birthday celebration before his arrest. As reported by the newspaper, the letter also contains a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman and ends with, “Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump denies having ever written the letter and promised to sue The Wall Street Journal and its reporters. The defamation lawsuit filed against the paper in Miami federal court demands for at least $10 billion insisting the news outlet “knowingly and recklessly” published “numerous false, defamatory, and disparaging statements” and claims the story has been the cause of "overwhelming financial and reputational harm.” The lawsuit names the two reporters who authored the story, The Wall Street Journal’s parent company, NewsCorp, its chief executive Robert Thomson, and Chairman Rupert Murdoch as the defendants.
Trump took to social media platform Truth Social to announce the defamation suit, explaining it was filed, “not only on behalf of your favorite President, ME, but also in order to continue standing up for ALL Americans who will no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media.”
A spokesperson from the Journal’s publisher, Dow Jones, responded with a statement backing the truthfulness of the story, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
On July 17, comedian, political commentator, and host of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert, confirmed the cancellation of his late night show. Even though the show’s ratings are high, CBS claims the cancellation of the shows is "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” and is “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at paramount.”
Colbert is a known critic of President Trump and recently spoke out on air about Paramount's decision to settle a lawsuit with him, calling it a “big fat bribe”. The lawsuit settlement in question is a $16 million settlement over the issue of the editing of a 2024 CBS “60 Minutes” interview.
Paramount, CBS News’ parent company, is currently aiming for the finalization of an $8.4 billion merger with Sky Media. To get this merger approved, Paramount would need approval from the Federal Communications Commission, which is currently mainly composed of republican chairmen.
After the cancellation of the show was announced, Trump once again took to his social media platform Truth Social to celebrate the cancellation, writing, “I absolutely love that Colbert’ got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert.”
Many of the show's viewers, other late night show hosts who have spoken out against the cancellation of The Late Show, and so on suspect CBS’ cancellation of the show is just another bribe to get the merger approved.
Trump played into those rumors with another new Truth Social post where he wrote “The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone.”
What Does This Mean for the Future of Free Speech and Free Press?
With Trump set to sign plans to defund public broadcasting soon, constantly criticizing journalists who speak out against him with aggressive threats, and famously banning certain reporters from covering press briefings during his first term, free speech and free press are being actively threatened. Threats to free speech and free press by Trump can mean the spread of misinformation curated to more conservative ideologies.
