A free press is a free America. We must protect it at all costs.
May 3, 2025
This World Press Freedom Day, the authoritarian Trump government is placing extreme strain on press freedom in the USA. We reached out to Nnenna Onwukwe, Communications Associate for the Secular Coalition for America, for a stateside view on the topic
Our Founding Fathers understood that a functioning democracy cannot exist without freedom of the press. That’s why the First Amendment in our country’s Constitution clearly states: “Congress shall make no law…prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” So it’s a shock that in just a few short months, America’s once free press has become unrecognisable.
Under press-restrictive governments, only state-approved information is allowed, journalists face imprisonment for reporting the truth, and disinformation thrives. This is the road America is now being pushed toward.
Under the Trump administration, we’re already witnessing coordinated attacks against independent journalism….Trump and other government officials outright terrorise journalists on a near-daily basis.
A government that can manipulate or silence the press can shape the public narrative to serve its interests. When a country’s media is not free to report the truth or challenge injustice, its people are not free.
Under the Trump administration, we’re already witnessing coordinated attacks against independent journalism. In February, Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” disregarding its centuries-old name. The Associated Press refused to follow the executive order and was barred from the White House in retaliation, a blatant violation of the Constitution’s protections for free speech and a free press. Even after a federal judge ordered AP News’s reinstatement, the administration openly defied the ruling and permanently removed the media outlet from the press pool.
Not everyone is backing down. Despite government pressure, journalists continue to protect press freedom.
Lawsuits are also being weaponised to silence journalists. Both ABC News and CNN settled defamation suits filed by Trump in a heavily pro-Trump Florida district. The two news outlets opted to settle under the assumption the district’s jurors would be biased against them.
And that’s not all. FCC investigations have been launched against Comcast, Verizon, and Disney. Trump and other government officials outright terrorise journalists on a near-daily basis. Grant cuts to U.S. federal agencies threaten to eliminate independent media organisations across the world.
But not everyone is backing down. Despite government pressure, journalists continue to protect press freedom. AP News is actively fighting to gain access back into the White Office’s press corps. A reporter with The Atlantic exposed a dangerous breach of national security after civilians were mistakenly added to a private government Signal chat about upcoming war plans. And the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a congressionally-created organisation that provides federal funding to news outlets like NPR and PBS, is suing the Trump administration for illegally firing three board members.
The current government’s actions are a chilling reminder of how fragile our country’s constitutional rights can be. A free press allows people to speak out against injustice. If our nation’s media independence is lost, we lose the voice of the people. This World Press Freedom Day, let’s remember the vision of our country’s founders and commit to protecting a free and independent press in America.
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