'If You Can Keep It': Donald Trump And The Future Of Press Freedom
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesDonald Trump has not been shy about his disdain for the press. In his second term, the president is turning those fiery feelings into action.
In February, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced changes to press access:
"For decades a Group of D.C.-based journalists, the White House Correspondents Association, has long dictated which journalists get to ask questions of the president of the United States in these most intimate spaces. Not anymore. I am proud to announce that we are going to give the power back to the people. Moving forward, the White House press pool will be determined by the White House press team."
That announcement came not long after the Associated Press was banned indefinitely from presidential events for opting to not update its style guide to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." Trump has also stepped up his litigious rampage against the media, suing ABC News, The Des Moines Register, CBS News, and pollster J. Ann Selzer.
At the Federal Communications Commission, Trump-appointed chair Brendan Carr has promised to roll back regulations. In January, the FCC announced it would be investigating NPR and PBS over their underwriting practices.
What do these actions mean for press freedom, you, and the health of U.S. democracy?
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