The press and democracy have always been closely linked. Journalists aren’t meant to cozy up to power. Their job is to hold it accountable. But today, media suppression and press freedom are under threat. Not just from hostile rhetoric, but from coordinated efforts to intimidate, punish, and control the flow of information.
Just look at what’s happening with the FCC. Trump’s appointee, Chairman Brendan Carr, publicly warned ABC over Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue criticizing the administration’s response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Carr’s words, “we can do this the easy way or the hard way”, were unmistakably coercive. This is clearly a textbook example of FCC intimidation tactics. This isn’t normal regulatory oversight. This is bullying, plain and simple. And it’s especially galling coming from the same guy who once said, “Free speech is the counterweight—it is the check on government control. That is why censorship is the authoritarian’s dream.” If Carr believed that then, what changed? Or was it just convenient rhetoric until the power to censor landed in his own hands?
And it’s not just Kimmel. Trump has repeatedly threatened to yank broadcast licenses from any network that dares to challenge him. Let that sink in: the sitting president is openly threatening to punish media outlets for exercising their constitutionally protected rights. This is a blatant effort to intimidate the press. It’s a direct assault on journalistic independence and a deliberate form of media censorship.
Media companies are caught in a brutal bind and it goes way beyond individual reporters feeling the pressure. Picture being a publisher or media executive. Your entire operation could be shut down, or dragged into court on flimsy political grounds. You’re forced to choose: protect your journalists and defend press freedom, or shield your business and your employees’ livelihoods. The consequences are predictable. Stories get watered down. Controversial topics are avoided. Hard-hitting coverage gets shelved.
News organizations wonder if publishing those hard-hitting stories are worth the risk of government suppression. Nobody wants to poke the bear. That’s exactly what Trump wants. A climate of fear. One that makes journalists and media companies hesitate. They start second-guessing whether speaking truth to power is worth the risk.
Remember, this isn’t about protecting public decency or maintaining standards. It’s about control. Information is power and Trump wants to control it. Add up the pieces. License threats. Lawsuits against critics. Attempts to defund public broadcasting. It’s a pattern. A deliberate push to control what Americans see and hear.
This sort of government pressure is a tactic of authoritarian media control. Our democracy depends on having different voices and perspectives, even when they’re uncomfortable or critical of those in power. Once the government starts deciding what news we can and can’t hear, something shifts. We lose more than just access to information. We lose a piece of who we are as a country.
We’re surrendering a core part of what makes us a free society.
The First Amendment exists for exactly this reason. We can’t let fear of retaliation silence our press. The media can’t afford to mute their voices. Because once that happens, media suppression and press freedom are truly under threat. We’re no longer living in a democracy. We’re living in whatever reality the people in power want us to believe. A state-controlled narrative should never be our future.
What can you do?
- Support independent media outlets by subscribing to their services.
- Stay informed about your rights concerning freedom of the press.
- Engage in discussions to raise awareness about media censorship.