EU: Concern for the Press
Published in El Heraldo de México
(Mexico) on 29 April 2025
by José Carreño Figueras (link to original)
(Mexico) on 29 April 2025
by José Carreño Figueras (link to original)
Translated from
by Stephen Routledge.
Edited by Michelle Bisson.
The Trump administration seems determined to subdue the mainstream press or at least corner it as much as possible.
When the Committee to Protect Journalists, Inc. issued a warning a few days ago to travelers — specifically reporters traveling to the United States — about the possibility of facing restrictions, additional questioning, or perhaps even being denied entry into the country, it simply put the concerns of many who are alarmed about freedom of expression in that country in black and white.
The issue is quite simple: President Donald Trump's administration seems determined to subdue the mainstream press or at least corner it as much as possible, and he is using the authority of the U.S. government to do so.
One of the main attacks, if not the main one, is an announcement by the Justice Department to end the shield law, currently considered a legal protection for journalists, and allow law enforcement authorities to demand that reporters identify their sources or face penalties.
In a country like the United States in general, and in a city like Washington, where information and leaks are part of the political game, this is a severe restriction on how the news media does its job.
In fact, a legendary journalistic investigation, the “Watergate scandal,” uncovered the criminal use of domestic espionage to support the reelection of President Richard Nixon, who ultimately resigned. And just like that one, anonymous sources led to uncovering and reporting on dozens of major scandals, although of lesser consequence.
But now the Trump administration seems determined to put an end to such “problems” and prevent the exposure of administration errors or internal disagreements from undermining his power or credibility.
The CPJ itself announced that, at the end of this month, it will release a report on “the incidence of targeted attacks against journalists and news organizations, regulatory abuse, and access issues for journalists reporting in the U.S.”
The report, it added, “will also examine whether the White House’s actions have created a chilling effect among local journalists around the nation.”
In real terms, many of the issues it will address are well known: from the multimillion-dollar lawsuits that seem to have intimidated news organizations such as ABC and CBS, to barring openly disobedient media outlets, such as the Associated Press, from covering presidential activities.
In return, Trump and his team have won over media outlets such as Fox News and social media such as X, owned by his aide, businessman Elon Musk, to their side, while they cozy up to Meta (Facebook) owner Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos
Ultimately, it is about using the resources and power of the state to pressure traditional media to toe the government line or move closer to what the regime and its supporters consider to be the truth.
When the Committee to Protect Journalists, Inc. issued a warning a few days ago to travelers — specifically reporters traveling to the United States — about the possibility of facing restrictions, additional questioning, or perhaps even being denied entry into the country, it simply put the concerns of many who are alarmed about freedom of expression in that country in black and white.
The issue is quite simple: President Donald Trump's administration seems determined to subdue the mainstream press or at least corner it as much as possible, and he is using the authority of the U.S. government to do so.
One of the main attacks, if not the main one, is an announcement by the Justice Department to end the shield law, currently considered a legal protection for journalists, and allow law enforcement authorities to demand that reporters identify their sources or face penalties.
In a country like the United States in general, and in a city like Washington, where information and leaks are part of the political game, this is a severe restriction on how the news media does its job.
In fact, a legendary journalistic investigation, the “Watergate scandal,” uncovered the criminal use of domestic espionage to support the reelection of President Richard Nixon, who ultimately resigned. And just like that one, anonymous sources led to uncovering and reporting on dozens of major scandals, although of lesser consequence.
But now the Trump administration seems determined to put an end to such “problems” and prevent the exposure of administration errors or internal disagreements from undermining his power or credibility.
The CPJ itself announced that, at the end of this month, it will release a report on “the incidence of targeted attacks against journalists and news organizations, regulatory abuse, and access issues for journalists reporting in the U.S.”
The report, it added, “will also examine whether the White House’s actions have created a chilling effect among local journalists around the nation.”
In real terms, many of the issues it will address are well known: from the multimillion-dollar lawsuits that seem to have intimidated news organizations such as ABC and CBS, to barring openly disobedient media outlets, such as the Associated Press, from covering presidential activities.
In return, Trump and his team have won over media outlets such as Fox News and social media such as X, owned by his aide, businessman Elon Musk, to their side, while they cozy up to Meta (Facebook) owner Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos
Ultimately, it is about using the resources and power of the state to pressure traditional media to toe the government line or move closer to what the regime and its supporters consider to be the truth.
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