Pam Bondi escalates disturbing war on reporters – but the public is “choosing to look away”

The Trump administration’s unprecedented attack on the country’s media is proceeding at a very general level, and it has an address. Executive order (From the suspicious legitimacy) prohibiting the financing of the national public radio and the general broadcasting system. Other prominent procedures include a ban Associated Press From the White House, correspondents’ prosecution is lost for defamation and demanding CBS a broadcasting license – accompanied by endless Trump’s windmills and threats on social media.

The least well -known is another low effort to reports by seeking to collect phone records for journalists and try to force their testimony in the court, all in the pursuit of government “leaks”. Public Prosecutor Bam Bondi announced this New policy Who replaces the Biden Administration Base, which restricts federal agencies from miller correspondents in this way.

In 2021, the Ministry of Justice in Biden revealed that in 2017 the Trump administration was It was secretly obtained Phone records for reporters from both New York timesand Washington Post. He also tried to no avail to get emails for reporters. The ministry said that no legal action was taken against the correspondents.

Trump appears to be keen to pick up the place where he stopped in his first term. Reporters without limits The current Trump campaign described it as an attack on “credibility, independence and the sustainability of the media.”

Despite this annoying comprehensive war on journalism, which contradicts directly with the protection of the first amendment to freedom of expression, most Americans do not seem interested in.

General indifference

A A modern poll The Pew Research Center found that only 36 % of Americans reported hearing a “lot” about the Trump administration’s relationship with the media. Nearly the fifth said they did not hear “nothing at all,” and 44 % said they only heard “a little” about this.

This contradicts the audience’s response eight years ago during the first Trump administration. March 2017 a report Pew found that 72 % of the United States adults said they had heard a “a lot” about the relationship between the Trump administration and the American media and most of them believed to be unhealthy for the country.

Although the audience is now relatively not interested in Trump’s move against the press, the same last survey showed that adults follow the comprehensive news coverage of the new Trump administration closely. The March 2025 poll found that 70 % of adults closely follow news about the Trump administration – an increase of 66 % in 2021 during the first months of the Biden administration.

the A committee to protect journalists He warned that Trump’s attack on the press “is happening quickly, and it seems that many Americans do not know, have not heard, or choose to look away.” The group said that one of the reasons for indifference is that the president and his caravan “immersed the region” with actions and information that can distract the attention of what is happening in the country.

Foreign expression advocates are particularly concerned about Bondi’s new policy. It states that new measures are necessary to protect “classified and distinctive information and other sensitive information.” By including the mysterious term “sensitive information”, the new policy is likely to cover a wide range of government information; The Federal Criminal Law, which focuses on protecting the information classified.

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Bruce Brown, President Correspondents Committee for Freedom of the Press, He said that protection for journalists is important to all Americans. “Some of the most proud reports in the history of the United States – from Watergate to unjustified eavesdropping after September 11 – were still possible because the reporters were able to protect the identities of secret sources and reveal stories of interest to people through the political spectrum.”

High confidence in 1972

The audience’s confidence in the media was in 1972, when President Richard Nixon nominated for his re -election and news of Watergate. At that time, a Gallup survey I mentioned that 72 % of Democrats and 68 % of Republicans have a “lot” or “some” confidence in the media.

After that, she wore a 50 -year war against the media by the conservative Republican leaders steadily confidence.

(Gallup)Nixon was arrested on the famous White House tapes on many occasions to remind his assistants that “the press is the enemy.” He looked at eavesdropping on correspondents, tax reviews and licenses of the TV station. Send Vice President Spearo AgyalWho underestimated the journalists as “SNOBS” Television and anchors correspondents “Small and closed brothers of distinguished men” with “vast power” and “no checks” on their “vast power”.

In 2008, Sarah BalinThe acceptance of the presidential nomination, the Republican Conference, said: “Here is a little news between these correspondents and commentators: I will not go to Washington to search for their good opinion.” Marco Rubio, in a 2015 Republican discussion, played with the Maga crowd through the “Democrats” announcement of “Superback” in the end; and it is called the main media.

The attacks are not limited to government leaks on Republicans only; President Barack Obama Ruler of more press sources to leak from his Republican predecessor.

Former Democratic President, John Kennedy, a former journalist, talked about the freedom of the press and warned that “without discussion, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed – and no republic can survive.