FACE OUR FEARS: Without a free press, there is no democracy
Donald Trump has taken his paranoia and anger with media that doesn’t flatter him to a whole new level. On Friday, during a speech at the Department of Justice, he kicked things off by praising the DOJ for tearing down “corrupt political machines all across America.”
He then went on to share this: “The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, MSDNC, and the fake news, CNN and ABC, CBS and NBC, they’ll write whatever they want,” he said. “And what do you do to get rid of it? You convict Trump.”
“It’s totally illegal what they do,” he said, according to CNN. “I just hope you can all watch for it, but it’s totally illegal.”
He also claimed that CNN and MSNBC are “political arms of the Democratic Party.”
We already know that every accusation is a confession when it comes to Trump and MAGA. We know that every time he speaks of “weaponizing the vast powers of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies to try and thwart the will of the American people,” he is just telling on himself and his plans for creating state-run media that reflects a dictatorial image of Trump that no one will be able to criticize or question.
To make matters worse, certain agencies under the Trump regime are now terminating their subscriptions with mainstream outlets like Politico Pro, NPR, and AP and AFP contracts, as well as letting the Reuters contract lapse on March 31.
And Voice of America has also been silenced. Virtually the entire 1,300 staff were put on leave after Trump signed an executive order to gut VOA’s parent agency, CNN reported. And it seems as though it might be replaced with this:
Musk chimed in and said this on X: “Nobody listens to them anymore. It’s just the radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money.”
Meanwhile, Media Matters for America shared some chilling statistics:
They found 320 online shows — 191 right-leaning and 129 left-leaning — that were active in 2024 and covered news and politics and/or had related guests. These shows had at least 584.6 million total followers and subscribers.
They found substantial asymmetry in total following across platforms: Right-leaning online shows had at least 480.6 million total followers and subscribers — nearly five times as many as left-leaning.
Across platforms — YouTube, Rumble, Twitch, Kick, Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok — right-leaning online shows accounted for roughly 82% of the total following of the online shows we assessed.
Comparatively, left-leaning online shows had nearly 104 million followers and subscribers across the eight platforms — nearly five times less.
Nine out of the 10 online shows with the largest followings across platforms were right-leaning, with a total following of more than 197 million. The only left-leaning show among the top 10 was What Now? with Trevor Noah, which had 21.1 million total followers and subscribers across platforms.
REALITY CHECK: Right wing media has exploded, and what is left (and leaning left) is being put on the chopping block whenever possible.
But organizations are finally starting to punch back.
Unions like the American Federation of Teachers launched a recent ad aimed at Musk, stating that his attacks on education included slashing critical services for poor kids, disabled children, career and technical education and slashing student loan support all so the richest Americans can have even bigger tax cuts.
Democratic group House Majority Forward launched a new Spanish-language attack ad targeting Rep. Monica De La Cruz over possible cuts to Medicaid, accusing her of “lining the pockets of billionaires like Musk and big corporations,” through supporting the budget resolution.
Rolling Sea Action Fun, a Congressional Black Caucus PAC-aligned group, is also targeting Musk with recent new ad which ran in swing House districts with large Black populations: “Instead of making things cheaper, Trump has allowed Elon and his billionaire grifter friends to take control of our government.”
And some journalists aren’t backing down from asking the tough questions, either, which is ruffling the feathers of Trump and his administration.
In one instance recently, Trump attacked a reporter from NBC about “inconsistency” in his economic agenda, particularly with his “on and off” tariffs that have been blamed for plunging stock markets and widespread uncertainty for businesses, according to the Huffington Post.
“There is no inconsistency,” the president hit back, before aiming his ire on the network. “Only with NBC, which is one of the worst networks on television, by the way.”
But the reporter quickly reminded Trump, “It was your home for a long time.”
Burn. I love to see it.
Every statement from Trump and his authoritarian mouthpieces must be met with resistance. Take this video where an AP reporter asks White House Press Secretary, Caroline Leavitt, who held a press briefing recently about tariffs.
She regretted giving a question to the AP simply because he didn’t reflect back her world view. How embarrassing for her.
NEWSFLASH: A free press isn’t about coddling fragile feelings or reinforcing someone’s world view simply because they don’t want to acknowledge the harsh truth that facts don’t lie.
Not only should we speak truth to power and stand up to fascists wherever they may be, but we must amplify and uplift voices who are working towards a more just and equitable world.
It will take all of us. Simply sharing and subscribing to Substacks like this one (and thank you in advance!), talking to your friends and neighbors about policies like paid leave for all or healthcare for all, joining organizations that are pushing for intersectional justice and protecting our right to vote are all ways we can do our part as this country continues to blindly march down the road towards authoritarianism.
We must never give in to these bullies. They have no power unless we let them take ours. I don’t plan on surrendering. Do you? We have too much worth fighting for.
Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. - In solidarity, Natalie
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