In Trump Era, Censorship May Start in the Newsroom.

[elleng]

This is how the muzzling starts: not with a boot on your neck, but with the fear of one that runs so deep that you muzzle yourself.

Maybe it’s the story you decide against doing because it’s liable to provoke a press-bullying president to put the power of his office behind his attempt to destroy your reputation by falsely calling your journalism “fake.”

Maybe it’s the line you hold back from your script or your article because it could trigger a federal leak investigation into you and your sources (so, yeah, jail).

Or, maybe it’s the commentary you spike because you’re a publicly supported news channel and you worry it will cost your station its federal financing.

In that last case, your fear would be existential — a matter of your very survival — and your motivation to self-censor could prove overwhelming.

We no longer have to imagine it. We got a real-life example last week in San Antonio, where a PBS station sat atop the slippery slope toward censorship and then promptly started down it.

It’s a single television station in a single state in a very big country. And the right thing ultimately happened. But only after a very wrong thing happened. . .

In a week in which Congress is calling for a leak investigation into stories in The Washington Post, The New York Times and CNN that led to Michael T. Flynn’s forced resignation as national security adviser, heroism is what’s called for. Hopefully there’s enough of it to go around.'

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/business/media/trump-era-media-censorship.html?

[Doodley]

1. Trump will fail at controlling the media for the simple reason that his popularity is sinking fast.

Let's see where we are after 100 days, but a president that has lost say 60% of the nation will never regain credibility by being seen to blame all his problems on the media. He is an infantile whiny little bit*h, and if that is how he wants to be remembered before his own party turns on him, then he should keep on whining.

[murielm99]

3. Nixon whined about the media, too.

[MFM008]

2. its what all the intimidation is about.

...................

[no_hypocrisy]

4. OK, so Trump won't provide facts to the MSM.

The news organizations will rely on leaks. There is no humanly way to totally stop leaks.

The WH would be better to provide *something* minimal than to give nothing or to provide false information.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

5. Thanks for posting.

Meant to do so myself, but didn't get around to it. Excellent article.