President Donald Trump has escalated his attacks on the media to an unprecedented level in the first 17 months of his second term, launching lawsuits, cutting press access, and issuing subpoenas against journalists.
Despite this onslaught, media experts argue that journalism continues to hold the administration accountable, citing persistent leaks and strong reporting as evidence.
Unprecedented legal and regulatory pressure
Trump and his allies have filed numerous lawsuits against media companies, while networks like ABC face regulatory pressure from the Federal Communications Commission.
Press access has been curtailed at the White House and Pentagon, and the administration used labor law to pressure the New York Times via an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit.
In a significant escalation, five New York Times reporters received subpoenas to testify before a grand jury in New York, prompting the newspaper's lawyer to denounce the move as an attempt to intimidate journalists.
The FBI raided Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson's home in January after critical reporting on US involvement in Venezuela.
Trump also threatened to sue the Times and CNN over a leaked intelligence report on a bombing mission in Iran, and threatened to jail an unnamed reporter for not revealing a source.
Mixed impact on media landscape
Chuck Todd, former anchor of Meet the Press, said the administration has diluted the press corps by elevating pro-Trump influencers, reducing the impact of accountability journalism.
Some media companies have made concessions to avoid conflict, such as CBS's ownership ties to Trump allies and the pending takeover of CNN by Trump-aligned billionaires.
However, many outlets have resisted.
ABC challenged an FCC investigation into The View, and the New York Times has filed multiple lawsuits to restore Pentagon access and fought off legal actions.
Marty Baron, former executive editor of the Washington Post, noted that the administration's obsession with leaks proves the media is still doing its job.
“Every day, there’s another story coming out about what’s happening in this administration,” Baron said, adding that the pressure will only increase over the remaining two and a half years of Trump's term.
