Storm Clouds Gather Over American Journalism
As Donald Trump prepares to reassume the presidency following his 2024 election victory, media pundits and journalism veterans are sounding the alarm about the perilous road ahead for the American press. Armed with what he perceives as a “mandate,” Trump is poised to escalate his long-running crusade against mainstream media outlets he deems hostile.
Marty Baron, the esteemed former executive editor of The Washington Post, predicts Trump will wield every weapon at his disposal to undermine and attack journalists. “He’ll use every tool that he has, and there are many available to him,” Baron warned in an interview following the election.
Espionage Act Prosecutions Loom
One particularly chilling prospect: the use of the century-old Espionage Act to prosecute journalists for publishing classified information. “Trump is salivating at the chance to sue a journalist for a leak of a classified document,” Baron cautioned, noting that a more aggressive attorney general could make such cases a priority.
By expanding the scope of what is deemed classified, the administration could construe almost any story based on leaks as a threat to national security. This would have an immense chilling effect on national security reporting and the ability to hold the government accountable.
Bankrupting News Outlets With Lawsuits
Another anticipated tactic: Trump allies bankrolling an onslaught of lawsuits designed to bleed media companies dry. Tech investor Peter Thiel provided the blueprint in 2016 when he secretly funded Hulk Hogan’s invasion of privacy suit against Gawker, ultimately forcing the news and gossip site into bankruptcy.
We can expect to see a Gawker-like scenario play out again and again. They’ll go after media outlets not to win on the merits, but to crush them financially with legal costs.
Senior media litigation attorney, speaking on condition of anonymity
Targeting Advertisers to Choke Off Revenue
Baron also anticipates the Trump camp threatening to boycott advertisers who continue to place ads in media outlets producing critical coverage. With many news organizations already on shaky financial footing, the loss of key advertisers could be catastrophic.
“Advertisers tend to be risk-averse. If they see a concerted pressure campaign from the Trump world, many will run for the hills to avoid being caught in the crossfire,” a veteran media analyst said. “This could deprive the press of crucial revenue when they’re already struggling.”
Acquiring and Taming Media Properties
If some media companies buckle under the financial strain, Baron fears Trump allies may swoop in to acquire them at fire sale prices. “Then they’d transform them into Fox News-style propaganda outfits to further pollute the information ecosystem,” he explained. “It’s a way to neutralize critical reporting and flood the zone with disinformation.”
Stonewalling to Starve Watchdog Reporting
Even without dramatic legal gambits or takeovers, a second Trump administration can severely impede accountability journalism simply by stonewalling. Political appointees across federal agencies and departments, Baron predicts, will stymie press inquiries and deny access to records.
“Weakening FOIA [the Freedom of Information Act] would be trivially easy with a pliant Congress,” a senior newsroom leader said. “Suddenly those document requests that are essential for investigative reporting will start coming back redacted or denied entirely. Reporters will face constant dead ends.”
Mounting a Collective Defense of Press Freedom
To withstand this multi-front assault, media leaders and press freedom advocates stress the need for solidarity and strategic action:
- Proactive legal defense: First Amendment attorneys must anticipate Trump’s tactics and build preemptive legal arguments to counter them in court.
- Strength in numbers: Media companies have to resist divide-and-conquer efforts. “We sink or swim together,” said one publisher. “Trump wants to pick us off one by one.”
- Radical transparency: To rebuild public trust, Baron urges journalists to show their work, share source materials, and invite readers to “check my work.” Restoring credibility is essential.
- Audience outreach: Newsrooms must strive to better understand the concerns of news consumers across the political spectrum. Bridging divides is key to becoming relevant to wider audiences.
Above all, members of the press must be clear-eyed about the scope of the threat. As the Reporters Committee for Press Freedom declared in a post-election missive: “We won’t mince words – the next Trump administration poses a serious threat to press freedom.”
While some of Trump’s most extreme moves may be stymied, journalists are in for a bruising next four years. “The goal,” Baron said, “will be to make the press the enemy and the villain. To discredit us. Some of it will be by Trump himself, but others will take the lead in a more sophisticated and insidious way.”
Surviving – and sustaining American democracy in the process – will require journalists to be more resourceful, united and transparent than ever before. The fate of the republic may hang in the balance.
