The Media Is Yielding to Trump: A MAGA Shift Is Underway
Published in Le Journal de Montreal
(Canada) on 21 September 2025
by Luc Laliberté (link to
original)
The American media landscape is undergoing rapid change. Once divided between large progressive and conservative players, it is taking a MAGA turn.
Traditional Media
As early as January, we understood that the administration would be more controlling of the media.
Between barring Associated Press journalists and controlling staff journalists at the Pentagon, there was little doubt about the White House’s determination.
More recently, the administration has sued The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for billions of dollars. Both publications are holding their own as they are financially sound.
Others, however, have opted to yield.
This is case with the CBS and ABC television networks, both involved in the mergers of large corporations run by billionaires whose interests are aligned with those of the president.
Late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel were taken off the air for their daily criticism of the president’s decisions and behavior.
Neither of the two hosts had exceeded the limits on freedom of expression, and the role of the FCC in these two affairs is profoundly troubling.
While the Colbert and Kimmel cases seem like censorship, there are also more subtle cases of “repurposing.”
Do you remember how, during the election campaign, the bosses at The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post intervened in the work of their editorial teams?
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos has sided with the president and many of its journalists resigned or were fired.
While right-leaning publications, or those close to the president, are hardly worried, those on the left, like The Washington Post have already begun a realignment.
The administration’s influence is not total, but it greatly reduces the impact of criticism.
Social Networks
In 2025, the impact of social networks on the media cannot be ignored. If you’ve paid attention, you’ll have noticed that even here leaders are pandering to the president.
Mark Zuckerberg and Meta have financially supported Donald Trump as well as abandoned efforts to combat disinformation and hate speech.
Need one mention the troubling relationship between the owner of X and the administration? Already in a conflict of interest, Elon Musk has also used his network to spread propaganda.
Lastly, the immensely popular TikTok could soon also inch closer to the administration.
Trump recently announced a signed deal for the purchase of TikTok in the United States, which would pass into the hands of American owners.
One of these new owners would be Larry Ellison. The billionaire and his son are corporate heavyweights who made the decision to part with Colbert and Kimmel.
Media control is indispensable for an authoritarian regime. Unfortunately, several steps have already been taken in this direction.
Traditional Media
As early as January, we understood that the administration would be more controlling of the media.
Between barring Associated Press journalists and controlling staff journalists at the Pentagon, there was little doubt about the White House’s determination.
More recently, the administration has sued The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for billions of dollars. Both publications are holding their own as they are financially sound.
Others, however, have opted to yield.
This is case with the CBS and ABC television networks, both involved in the mergers of large corporations run by billionaires whose interests are aligned with those of the president.
Late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel were taken off the air for their daily criticism of the president’s decisions and behavior.
Neither of the two hosts had exceeded the limits on freedom of expression, and the role of the FCC in these two affairs is profoundly troubling.
While the Colbert and Kimmel cases seem like censorship, there are also more subtle cases of “repurposing.”
Do you remember how, during the election campaign, the bosses at The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post intervened in the work of their editorial teams?
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos has sided with the president and many of its journalists resigned or were fired.
While right-leaning publications, or those close to the president, are hardly worried, those on the left, like The Washington Post have already begun a realignment.
The administration’s influence is not total, but it greatly reduces the impact of criticism.
Social Networks
In 2025, the impact of social networks on the media cannot be ignored. If you’ve paid attention, you’ll have noticed that even here leaders are pandering to the president.
Mark Zuckerberg and Meta have financially supported Donald Trump as well as abandoned efforts to combat disinformation and hate speech.
Need one mention the troubling relationship between the owner of X and the administration? Already in a conflict of interest, Elon Musk has also used his network to spread propaganda.
Lastly, the immensely popular TikTok could soon also inch closer to the administration.
Trump recently announced a signed deal for the purchase of TikTok in the United States, which would pass into the hands of American owners.
One of these new owners would be Larry Ellison. The billionaire and his son are corporate heavyweights who made the decision to part with Colbert and Kimmel.
Media control is indispensable for an authoritarian regime. Unfortunately, several steps have already been taken in this direction.
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