Trump and allies are waging campaign against media to stifle dissent, experts warn
Donald Trump and his allies have started to wage a campaign against media organisations in the US that are critical of the president-elect by launching lawsuits that media experts warn are designed to stifle dissent and potentially put them out of business.
The tactic appears to be to aggressively pursue legal action against news organisations – which Trump has long dubbed “enemies of the people” – by asking for often hefty sums in damages. The cases are launched even if the odds of success sometimes appear long, because even an unsuccessful court action can be expensive for a cash-strapped media company and act as a deterrent.
“The recent spate of lawsuits that he has filed, and his public threat to ‘straighten out the press’, do seem to signal an increased effort by Trump and his allies to go after the press through lawsuits,” said Anna Diakun, staff attorney and managing attorney, fellowship program, for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.
Last week alone saw several developments that deeply worry defenders of press freedom in the US.
Trump sued Iowa pollster J Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register newspaper for alleged “brazen election interference” in a civil suit that shocked free speech defenders.
One advocate said the suit was potentially “the most appalling example” of Trump’s efforts to weaponize courts against opponents. [Continue reading…]