The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition. Censorship in U.S. media has grown exponentially and is threatening the integrity of an independent press that holds together the foundation of our country.
A diverse media helps citizens stay informed and holds people in power accountable by reporting. Any form of censorship restricts the freedom of expression and the freedom of the press by manipulating information. This poses a huge abuse of power.
Recently, the freedom of the press has been restricted and limited in alarming ways. The White House has banned Associated Press reporters from attending events there. The administration insists that they will be allowed to attend again once they begin to refer to the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America.”
Since February 25, 2025, the press pool has also been restricted as the White House has confirmed that they will be taking control of it. The White House will determine which outlets can rotate in and out of the White House coverage. Taking control of the press pool rotation is a violation of the independence of the press. A controlled media stifles activism, and it makes it more difficult for people to challenge corruption, speak on injustices, and fight against government mistakes.
Recently, news agencies such as NPR, NBC News, the New York Times, and Politico were removed from the Pentagon Press Corps, replaced by outlets like One America News Network (OANN) and Breitbart. This raises concerns about biased reporting and the exclusion of critical voices.
But it doesn’t end there. In recent months, mainstream news outlets have been either sued or threatened by President Trump for their reporting. ABC notably settled a defamation of character lawsuit with Trump, which required the network to pay $15 million toward his presidential library. Trump filed a lawsuit against a CBS program, 60 Minutes, for “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference.” The Des Moines Register in Iowa was sued for publishing a poll a few days before the election. Social media giant, Meta, was sued for the suspension of Trump’s account, leading to a $25 million settlement against a lawsuit with him.
This tactic of intimidation and power continues to follow his cases. Trump does not tolerate any acts of defiance or criticism from the media and took it to his legal team to attack these organizations. The continuous lawsuits being filed against media platforms create intimidation. Because of these suits, many media companies are wary of publishing any criticism of Trump or any supporters since they do not have deep enough pockets to withstand millions of dollars worth of lawsuits.
The irony is that he sues media outlets for being censored, yet he continues to censor major media outlets. He sues for defamation of character, yet often damages the character of others on his own social media platform, Truth Social.
The First Amendment was designed to prevent government overreach and ensure a free and independent press. This abuse of power in only one month leaves us wondering what may be down the road for our country’s most fundamental freedoms
It took Hitler one month, three weeks, and two days to completely dismantle the German constitution. The Cuban government leaves its citizens no choice against their one-party dictatorship. The North Korean constitution has convinced citizens that dictatorship is the people’s democracy. Major information channels in Russia are completely controlled by the state. Their first step to achieving their authoritative regimes was censorship and propaganda.
There is a reason the founding fathers placed the First Amendment first. Prioritizing the freedom of the press is essential to a free society. Freedom of the press allows for transparent leading. A country of the people, by the people, for the people is founded upon a free press; without it, democracy dies.
