Another Trump term could be a fatal blow to press freedom

Immediately after reading this article, in posting this tread, I anticipate republicans countering the premise of the argument , something along the lines of some universities disallowed certain persons of on the right and left from having a forum. Understand that if that is your argument, know that it's parochial, and many on the left, including my favorite liberal, Bill Maher, have, on many occasions, criticized them for doing that.

What the issue here is much more corrosive and broader than that, it's the attitude and deeds of a nation's leader to the press, i.e, Trump and how he deals with the press, which is far more serious. If you are going to raise the issue, it's a false comparison because of the scale and scope of a president on the nation versus a couple of universities on the speech of a few individuals, i.e., there is no comparable magnitude here, it's not even apples versus oranges, it's watermelons versus raisins.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...trump-term-could-be-fatal-blow-press-freedom/

His [Trump's] habit of verbally abusing journalists, and inciting crowds to do the same, is a hallmark of authoritarian leaders instantly recognizable to citizens of such societies. For Americans, though, this approach to reporters and an independent media is still very new, so on the eve of Election Day, we must assess the damage that has been inflicted and how we might reverse course.

Even more corrosive than Trump’s combative speech toward and about journalists are his administration’s efforts to hamstring media outlets’ reporting by enveloping them in a vortex of red tape and imposing restrictions on who can cover what. The latest indications of how far the U.S. government has strayed from the promise of the First Amendment are chilling.
The Department of Homeland Security recently proposed rule changes that could heavily affect foreign news agencies and restrict their reporters’ ability to work in the United States. According to DHS, such decisions would be based on “defining a foreign media organization consistent with U.S. Department of State and DHS policy.”

When assessing the health of a democracy, official restrictions on domestic and foreign journalists’ ability to report within a society are a bad indicator. Disturbingly, such limitations are not only expanding but are also appearing in previously healthy democracies.
While the public rarely hears about such hurdles, correspondents in China, Russia, Iran and other authoritarian societies live and work under constant pressures that they understand are intended to impede their jobs. The Trump administration is simply employing moves from an old authoritarian playbook that have proved successful at limiting critical coverage in illiberal societies.

 

So, protecting censorship now is protecting freedom of speech?
Mind - blown!

 

If he wins again they will be their own undoing, they have been exposed as the hacks they are.
Meanwhile, Obama actually went after them, whistleblowers too!

Barack Obama was a greater enemy of the free press than ...
www.cbc.ca › radio › thesundayedition › barack-obam...
May 3, 2019 — Trump may have made rumblings and grumblings, threatening all kinds of confrontation. But he has never done anything but talk. Obama ...

Trump's war on press no match for Obama's - Baltimore Sun
www.baltimoresun.com › opinion › columnists › zurawik
Mar 4, 2017 — Donald Trump is being treated unfairly in some parts of the mainstream media, and unless we deal with it honestly and openly, we are the ones ...

 

I never heard of ANY pol, from President to dogcatcher who would talk trash to the press like Trump. If a reporter asks a tough question that's an OPPORTUNITY for most pols who generally deliver their best lines in answering such. A microphone with a camera attached is meat and drink to any proper pol and they never talk down to them, except for this one, who seems to think he is above communicating with the Great Unwashed who elect him.

 

Did you see Biden’s response to Hunters laptop scandal?

 

And his response to "will you pack the court".

 

No, and I don't care to. Certain things deserve neither a response from a pol or even attention from the public.

 

Freedom also carry's with it much responsibility. The press has clung on to freedom of speech and tossed out their responsibility to truth and decency. Shame on them, they earned Trumps wrath.

 

Yeah, we have no right to know his plans for the S. Court...

 

Well, workers at CNN don’t deserve to be called journalists and can be treated as scum, as far as I’m concerned.

 

Like smear, slander and absolutely unverified and unverifiable insinuations by anonymous sources and illegal leaks?....oh, wait, that's fine with your ilk, isn't that?

The left/the swamp/the elites want "free" press because they fully own "free" press, because "free" press if free to do their bidding and carry their waters, nothing else.

 

meanwhile you guys are right now peddling around unverified accusations against Hunter Biden based on stolen property.

 

This article uses click bait for a headline. The reality is that Trump has been a gift for the media. Anything anti-Trump is eagerly consumed and shared.

 

Exactly, the accusations are unverified by the media, the "free" media is not allowed to ask a presidential candidate accused of major crimes questions.
Yet, spewing russia collusion hoaxes, lies by anonymous sources, deliberate misinformation, debunked conspiracy theories about the candidate not approved by the swamp is par for the course.

 

Uh huh, Right sure, I understand, and the Deep State, Lizardmen, yadda yadda.

It's like with Stalin, after 1930 or so nobody in Russia even cared what he said anymore and even he knew it. It was all for the foreign press. It's getting like that here only there is vocal opposition. See what happens if Trump should get a 2nd term (god forbid) when he starts arresting journalists.

 

You misspelled "Obama" Barack Obama was a greater enemy of the free press than ...
www.cbc.ca › radio › thesundayedition › barack-obam...
May 3, 2019 — Trump may have made rumblings and grumblings, threatening all kinds of confrontation. But he has never done anything but talk. Obama ...
In fact, Barack Obama may be one of the greatest enemies of a free press in American history. Much more than his successor.

Donald J. Trump may have made rumblings and grumblings, threatening all kinds of confrontation. But he has never done anything but talk.

The Obama administration, on the other hand, declared open war on the press in a take-no-prisoners kind of way.

Obama's justice department tapped reporters' phones, dragged reporters into court, and prosecuted three times as many cases targeting leakers than all previous administrations combined.

Trump's war on press no match for Obama's - Baltimore Sun
www.baltimoresun.com › opinion › columnists › zurawik
Mar 4, 2017 — Donald Trump is being treated unfairly in some parts of the mainstream media, and unless we deal with it honestly and openly, we are the ones ...

 

I'm 62 years old, in all those years I have never heard of ANY media outlet short of Pravda, who would talk trash about the President like the Lame stream media. Congress needs to pass a "truth in reporting act" like the did for advertising. Tell a blatant lie and get fined $5 million dollars.

 

Yes, this is a great idea. it will finally give the Don an opportunity to donate to charity

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.th...donald-trump-20000-false-or-misleading-claims

 

Another Trump term could be a fatal blow to press freedom
Trump has done absolutely nothing to inhibit the constitutional freedom the press enjoys. As opposed to say Obama who tried to put federal monitors in the editorial room of every major newspaper to control what was printed. Fussing about what newspapers print does nothing to inhibit their constitutional freedom. Additionally, although it is a sticky wicket, there is something to be said about a public relations advocate posing as a journalistic newspaper not having those same constitutional freedoms.

 

If the media were as smart as they think they are, they would have stopped using the word Trump 4 years ago. Nothing would drive him insane like not getting mentioned at all. He would rather be lied about than ignored.

 

That's complete crap, Trump have spend four years with almost all medias against him and also all GAFAs. They've spend their time criticizing him sometimes for valid reasons, sometime it was just insult. Yet they're still there.

Trump isn't the authoritarian dictator you fantasy about.