Limitations, control, and retaliatory litigation
Kleptocrats fear independent, unfettered, and pluralistic media. In carrying out its watchdog role, independent media organizations scrutinize those in power, investigate and report on matters of public interest, and serve as a check on propaganda. Given the power of independent media to expose corruption and contribute to holding powerful actors to account, it is no surprise that the Trump administration has systematically limited its access to the president and senior officials, all the while expanding access for so-called "new media" that proudly serve and amplify his administration's positions.
ACTION 91 | Using lawsuits to create a chilling effect
Retaliatory lawsuits—often called Strategic Litigation against Public Participation or SLAPPs—are another tool that Trump and his allies have deployed to harass and silence independent media. SLAPPs are a form of legal harassment in which a powerful actor brings a lawsuit not necessarily to win the case, but to overburden their critics with the high costs, time, and stress of civil litigation. News organizations he has sued for defamation include ABC, CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. In the run up to the election, Trump also sued CBS News and The Des Moines Register. Media lawyers initially dismissed these suits as ridiculous, yet a number of news organizations have demonstrated an inclination to settle out of court. Even when such lawsuits have been dismissed, they have served the intended purpose; contributing to chilling free speech and constraining critical coverage.
In December 2024, ABC News reached a settlement with President-elect Trump in another defamation case, agreeing to issue an apology and pay $16 million. The suit followed a segment in which George Stephanopolous inaccurately said Trump had been found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carrol when he had actually been found liable in a civil case for sexual abuse. Commenting on the case, New York Times reporter David Enrich indicated the decision to settle set a precedent that "could embolden other political leaders, including Trump himself, to really double down on this tactic."
On April 15, 2025, President Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, "I am so honored to be suing 60 Minutes, CBS Fake News, and Paramount, over their fraudulent, beyond recognition, reporting...They should lose their license! Hopefully, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as headed by its Highly Respected Chairman, Brendan Carr, will impose the maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior. CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
On April 22, 2025, the Executive Producer of the CBS show "60 Minutes," Bill Owens, announced his resignation, stating in a memo, “over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for ‘60 Minutes,’ right for the audience." Owens' resignation takes place as CBS parent company, Paramount, seeks a settlement—described as a potential "extraordinary concession"—to Trump's $10 billion suit claiming the show "deceptively edited" an October 2024 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount's controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, is simultaneously seeking Federal Communications Commission approval of a multi-billion deal involving the sale of the company to Skydance. (Last updated 4/21/25)
ACTION 92 | Pentagon press pool is purged
On Monday, January 27, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth officially arrived at the Pentagon. The conclusion of his first week in office was marked with a Friday night memo to the press corps, announcing a "new annual media rotation program." Presenting the initiative as an opportunity for "new outlets to have their turn to become resident members of the Pentagon press corps,” the change effectively removed NBC News, The New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR), and Politico from their dedicated offices within the building, later expanding to include CNN, The Washington Post, and The Hill, among others. "New media" networks ushered into the vacated workspace included the right-wing, pro-Trump organizations One America and Breitbart News. (Last updated 4/21/25)
ACTION 93 | Punishing the Associated Press for maintaining its editorial independence
The January 20, 2025 Executive Order 14172 "Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness" required the Secretary of Interior to rename the Gulf of America as the Gulf of Mexico. While tech giant Google quickly fell in line, changing the name on its Maps application and blocking user reviews, the Associated Press (AP), referring to its style guidance, determined it would refer to the Gulf by its original name "to ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences." Displeased with the AP's failure to fall in line, the White House barred the AP from small press pool events in the the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One, as well as press conferences. (Last updated 4/21/25)
ACTION 94 | Eliminating the permanent news wire spots in the press pool
In response to an April 8, 2025 ruling that the White House's actions against the AP violated the First Amendment, which also required it to “immediately rescind their viewpoint-based denial” of the AP from presidential events, the Trump administration borrowed a page out of the Pentagon playbook. Instead of complying with the ruling, the White House issued a new press policy. The policy eliminates the regular, permanent pool spot for news wires, limiting access not just to the AP but to Reuters and Bloomberg too, while also opening those spots to several dozen media to be selected on rotation. In a major break from precedent, the White House will choose the composition of the press pool, a task formerly reserved for the independent White House Correspondents’ Association. In response, the Association stated, "This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States. It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president. In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps." (Last updated 4/21/25)
ACTION 95 | Favoring organizations that will publish pro-administration stories
The Trump administration's limitations on professional independent media and fondness for favorable outlets facilitates its narrative control and allows exaggerations and lies to spread unchecked. It results in the kind of scenario that unfolded in the February 28, 2025 Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky where Brian Glenn of the right-wing outlet Real America’s Voice peppered Zelensky with questions about his choice of clothing and claimed that Americans have problems with Zelensky's lack of respect for the office of the President. Another beneficiary of the "new media" policy is Tim Pool, the host of the Timcast IRL podcast. Granted the first question at an April 22, 2025 briefing, he said, “Many of the news organization represented in this room have marched in lock step on false narratives, such as the 'very fine people' hoax, the Covington smear, and now, the 'Maryland man' hoax. Where an MS-13 gang member, adjudicated by 2 different judges I believe, is simply being referred to as a 'Maryland man' over and over again.” (Last updated 4/22/25)