To: America's journalists
Condemn Trump's attack on the free press
I reject President Trump’s suggestion that news outlets should lose their broadcast licenses for criticizing him -- and all of his attacks on the press freedom our democracy relies on.
Journalists have a duty to hold those in power accountable -- and they must know that the American people will stand in solidarity with them as long as they continue to do so.
Why is this important?
Our democracy relies on a free, fair, and adversarial press to hold power accountable. It’s one of the reasons we have a First Amendment. But President Trump continues to escalate his attacks on journalists -- recently threatening to take away NBC’s broadcast license for reporting what he claims is “Fake News.”
To be perfectly clear, Trump has absolutely no right or ability to make good on this threat. The law doesn’t let the President revoke broadcast licenses.. If Trump tried to, it would be blatant and unacceptable intervention in the decisions of the Federal Communications Commission, an independent agency.
But we can’t allow this President to continue to bully and attack journalists for doing their jobs -- just because they’re reporting news he doesn’t like. It’s not just NBC stations that will find this threat chilling, but also smaller independent stations around the country who might lack the resources to fight back.
This isn’t the first time President Trump has attacked journalists he believed were treating him unfairly. During the campaign, Trump pledged to “open up” libel laws to make it easier to sue news organizations -- and earlier this year he branded them an “enemy of the American People.”
This sort of attack on the free press undermines our democracy. We are not an authoritarian state -- Americans expect the media to hold Donald Trump and anyone else with political power accountable.
That’s why it’s so important to take this pledge today to oppose Donald Trump’s attacks on the free press and stand in solidarity with journalists that hold Trump accountable. Please add your name today.