For a president who claims to be a champion of free speech, Donald Trump sure has a funny way of showing it.
Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Friday, Sept. 18, that he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, "effective immediately."
It was a stunning move, to the extent that anything is anymore, and evidently wasn't triggered by any single action by any of the three outlets. It's also worth noting that CNN's Kasie Hunt said later in the day that her network's reporters "have been reporting from the White House grounds as usual" and "we don't have details yet about what this may entail."
What does Trump's ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico mean?
Nobody does. It's just another wild slap in the face of free speech by an administration that specializes in it. It's likely unconstitutional,
which Trump acknowledged was possible in a media gathering Friday afternoon.
"I think it’s good," Trump said. "I think it’s good to point it out, whether it survives or doesn’t. I don't think a court should allow fake news to be written day after day after day."
And there you have it. The two magic words. "Fake news." The old standby of an administration that cannot and will not allow any criticism of its actions.
"CNN is fake news," Trump said. "MS NOW is fake news. They know it."
What stories were fake news? He didn't say. So what does he want?
"I won in a landslide," Trump told reporters. "And I don't get fair press. I get it from Breitbart. I get it a little bit from Fox (News)." Imagine taking pride in being included in that group.
Trump's threats are bad for local news, too
To be clear, while this is an appalling step taken in what seems like desperation, it's not just a threat to the three media outlets Trump called out in his Truth Social post. It's a threat to media everywhere, including local media — particularly in red states, where MAGA-aligned politicians imitate Trump's attitude and actions whenever possible (though often without the same success, as Kari Lake can attest).
That's not just an empty threat. In his Truth Social post, Trump wrote, "Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow." In the press gathering, he said, "The New York Times is fake news. The Washington Post is fake news. They're both crummy papers." But there's no reason to think he — or his political imitators — will limit it to them. This is a threat to everyone.
"This is beyond the realm," Jamie Gangel said on CNN. (Fox News and MS NOW didn't really report on the ban. Politico posted a story about the ban Friday afternoon.) "The threat of others to follow, even though it’s unconstitutional, even though I think the courts will overturn it, is ominous."
That's a good word for it.
Trump is trying to bend reality
Speaking of good words, presidential historian Tim Naftali offered perhaps the best encapsulation in recent memory of Trump's attitude toward the media and the American people on CNN. "This president has presented himself to the American people in a way that John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan and even Richard Nixon never did, which is to say that he is the truth," Naftali said. "That everything that they hear that does not line up with his explanation of reality is fake. No president before this one has sought to control information in this manner."
Lucky us.
The best way for CNN, MS NOW and Politico to react to the ban, whatever it may entail, is to simply keep reporting the truth, no matter who it angers. Because silencing the truth is what's really behind all this.
"The message today’s action sends is alarming," the National Press Club said in a statement. "It tells other news organizations to soften their coverage. It tells reporters to think twice before asking difficult questions, or else lose access. And it leaves the American people knowing less about the government that serves them.”
That's the biggest threat, from the biggest international outlets to the smallest local papers and news sites. And it's a threat we ignore at our peril.
Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Media commentary with a side of snark? Sign up for The Watchlist newsletter with Bill Goodykoontz.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Donald Trump's CNN, MS NOW ban threatens all media | Opinion
