President Donald Trump took another step against the US media on Thursday 1 May 2025, when he signed an executive order, seeking to cut public news outlet NPR and PBS to cut funds.
Both outlets have earlier stated that Trump’s attempt to cut such funding would have a “devastating effect” on American citizens, which rely on them for reliable local and national news – which also includes during emergency situations.
With the US (VOA) attempt to leave the Associated Press from the Oval Office, Tusrap The administration and his colleagues have pressed the US in their crosshare.
Trump’s attacks on the press began before winning the White House. Trump sued the CBS for editing an interview with his rival Kamla Harris before the 2024 presidential election, the way he deemed unfavorable.
He he, The des Mine Register and J. Ann Selzer, sued a newspaper in a polster, was to publish a survey. Harris Trump, a leading presidential race in the state.
Those cases continue.
Small victory
But some outlets are fighting back and some are winning.
A federal judge ordered the Trump government to restore VOA’s funding and restore global broadcasters employees and contractors. More than 1,000 of them were suspended after the President signed an executive order that disintegrates an executive order that disintegrates the VoA’s original company, US Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
A court also biased with AP in its trial, so that the Gulf of Mexico was banned from the Oval Office to refuse to refer to the “US Gulf”. President Trump has insisted that the waterway will be referred to as the latter. In the April 8 judgment, American District Judge Traver N. McFaden ruled that the ban violated the first amendment rights of the wire service. The Trump administration said that it would appeal for the decision.
Under the US Constitution, the first amendment provides for the protection of fundamental freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.
But the free speech advocated caution that while these freedom is outlined in the US Constitution, Trump’s crack on the free press shows that the first amendment requires active defense for amendment.
Who will say?
Nadin Strosen, a senior partner at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said, “No matter what the amendment and the Supreme Court’s decisions maintain the first amendment, they are in principle, they are not doing self-work.” “This lawyers need to advocate courts to maintain and implement the first amendment rights and when you have the law firms being intimidated by closing the horns with the Trump administration, as it can exclude them from the business, it is very scary.”
President Trump specifically signed a series of executive orders targeting law firms, which he considered “risk”, mostly he is opposed to the lawyers involved in the investigation of previous cases against Trump or to defend people or to defend people or due to Trump – such as diversity, equity and inclusion program. It can potentially dilute the ranks of those who are ready to stand against independent speech violations for toe with the Trump administration.
But the legal support is going to be more necessary, indicating more moves against the free press for Trump’s arrival.
On 14 April, an article from the White House appeared to target publicly funded broadcasters. “Over the years, the US taxpayers have been on the hook to subsidize the National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), who spread the fundamentalist, awakened the promotion of the preaching in the form of ‘news’,” said this.
The Trump administration is expected to start a memorandum to block federal funding for NPR and CBS in the coming weeks.
Control the story
For NPR media correspondent David Folcanflic, Trump’s step to shutter the publicly funded outlets in line with his broad strategy, ensuring that he takes command of the public story.
“The idea that the taxpayer will go to support the wealth, that government money will support a news outlet that is demanding verification and independent reporting with its own editorial decision. [Trump] Controls every message, he controls every news cycle, he controls every editorial decision, “said Folcanflic.
But Press Freedom Watchdogs say that government control over messaging is on obstacles with the practice of democracy in the society.
“This is a theory that you often find that people do not really want to talk, or they don’t get why it will be related to them, unless they are subject to targeted or silent or chilling, and we are in a real anti-free speech and anti-rejection, democratic moment,” Nora benavidezWhich leads the initiative of democracy in the free press, which is dedicated to a non-profit press freedom.
Benavidase warns that a combination of Trump’s lack of commitment to facts, and the disintegration of media outlets creates a place for additional confusion and wrong and disintegration, which endanger overall democratic stability. That Trump administration, as well as the White House Bureau Head for the organization.
VOA is often one of some sources of sensor news in countries such as Iran, Russia, Belarus, Afghanistan and North Korea.
The Trump administration also has very personal outcomes for the steps.
And non-American employees who had to leave the US after losing their VOA jobs and their working visas could face results once in their home countries, a VOA employee worked on a contract basis. He spoke to DW out of anxiety for possible vengeance.
“There are many journalists who came to the VOA to promise to practice the freedom of the press in a country where it is constitutionally guaranteed,” he said. “Many of those journalists are not citizens, and if they have to return to their original countries, they are in danger. They face imprisonment or even worse if they have to leave this country.”
“I hope there are people in high places, and also average voters, [who] The VOA contractor said that the press would stand for constitutionally protected freedom.
