The President Versus The Mainstream Media
PELONI: I recall the spectacle of press coverage during the Iraq war under Pres. George W. Bush. I really never thought things would get worse than Tony Snow having to honestly refer to members of the US press as agents of a govt with which the US was currently at war. Well, it has gotten worse, much worse.
Notably, the role of the press should be to act as a watchdog over the govt, but how can that be feasible if the govt can literally create its own news media while partially blocking access to news groups which it sees as irresponsible, reckless or even malicious. I sympathize with Trump’s attempt to move against his adversaries in the press, and not even against all of them. Yet, I believe his actions here will not serve the purpose he intended, but will only come to serve the interests of the irresponsible, reckless and malicious media groups which he is trying to sideline. Of course, if this works in America, perhaps there will be hope for reviving the Fourth Estate in Israel to a level less harmful than it plays at present.
President Trump’s disputes with the media may seem contentious, but are no different from those of Lincoln and Democrats like FDR, LBJ, and Obama.
Am Thinker | October 2, 2026
Trump vs the Press. Image created via AI.
On September 18, President Donald Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House for reporting “fake news.” The administration subsequently argued that these falsehoods jeopardized national security. Presidents have clashed with the press before, but a ban is unusual and raises serious questions about press freedom, what constitutes misuse, and whether such misuse should be penalized.
Stop the genocide, Free Palestine 023 Mielenosoitus palestiinalaisten tueksi, rajatonvimma /// VJ Group Random Doctors, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Image created via AI
Image created via AI.
