Visit the online bookstore. There are “how-to” books on just about anything you can think of, such as baking bread, knitting socks, practicing calligraphy, building wooden shops, and cultivating food in various places.
And I’m sure there’s even a “how-to” guide for becoming a dictator. The initial step: Suppress and control the media. This strategy has been utilized by figures like Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Francisco Franco, Victor Orban, and Vladimir Putin. It’s the same approach that Donald Trump adopted recently.
Trump’s connection with the media is complex. He is, in part, a product of the media. He wouldn’t have attained his current status—merely remembered as a New York developer—without first being glorified in the New York tabloids, and later becoming a household name on NBC for 14 years as the host of “The Apprentice.”
However, as he ventured into politics, Trump turned against the very people who contributed to his fame. As a candidate and president, he labeled the media as “false news” and branded them “the enemy of the people.” He targeted reporters who reported on his rallies. Various news organizations increased security for their reporters. He accused the media of failing to announce a victor in 2020. As he campaigned for reelection in 2024, he even promised to take action against individuals in the media who were not “fair.” In simple terms, those who didn’t echo his falsehoods.
The commitments were upheld. Trump effectively waged war on the media. As if that wasn’t enough, he has received assistance from several media leaders. In fact, the current media environment has faced more assaults—both domestically and internationally—than at any other time since the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.
From within, no one has weakened media autonomy more than Jeff Bezos of the Washington Post, Patrick Soon-Shiong of the Los Angeles Times, and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta. Even before Trump took office, all three had aligned themselves with Trump, and now they are carrying out his agenda. Bezos and Soon-Shiong have suppressed editorial support for Kamala Harris. Zuckerberg got rid of Mar-a-Lago Dining with cards by disabling Facebook’s fact-checking feature, permitting Trump’s return to the platform, and donating a million dollars to him..
With their backing, Trump transitioned from merely denouncing the media to incapacitating them. He doesn’t refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” so he prohibits Associated Press reporters from his Oval Office. He took control of the White House pool from the White House Correspondents’ Association and soon excluded journalists from HuffPost and Reuters because he disliked their inquiries. He even expressed disdain for the “horrible” Fox News White House reporter Jackie Heinrich. He sued CBS News and ABC News over interviews he disapproved of. Furthermore, he terminated all news subscriptions from federal agencies and dismissed major media companies from the Pentagon’s long-standing office.
Strangely, Trump has not only targeted the independent press but has also silenced government media outlets like Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe. Abruptly, these services ceased to operate without reason. The hundreds of millions living under oppressive regimes without press freedom have suddenly lost their prime source of accurate information and connection with the United States.
Trump’s assault on the media is in full effect. However, the troubling aspect is that he appears to be succeeding. Why? Because most people are indifferent. This is true. When Elon Musk is just fired or affected by a tornado or wildfire, it’s difficult to focus on the restrictions imposed on White House reporters.
Nonetheless, people should be concerned. It is crucial now more than ever that the media remains unafraid to speak truth to authority. What safeguards are left to protect democracy from Trump? It’s not his 6-3 majority Supreme Court. The media is the last existing safeguard.
The American media is under siege. This should resonate with everyone. If a free and independent media is lost, we lose everything. Thomas Jefferson articulated this well: “Our liberty is contingent upon the freedom of the press, and it cannot be constrained without being forfeited.”
Bill Press“Bill Prespod. “he”From left: The Life of Crossfire. ” Follow him on blue sky@billpress.bsky.social.
