On March 4, 2025, President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress, saying, “I’ve stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America. It’s back.” However, many of his recent actions have contradicted this.
In Washington, there is a rotating pool of journalists who cover the White House. The pool system encourages broad news sharing, as journalists in the pool have a responsibility to share information with news sources from around the world.
Typically, the White House Correspondents’ Association determines which news agencies are allowed to send a journalist to different events. Presidents haven’t interfered with the pool since it was created during the Eisenhower administration. Trump is breaking this precedent.
The White House recently, banned an Associated Press reporter from the pool, demanding that the agency change its style guide from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Trump says that the renaming is part of his restoration of “American pride in the history of American greatness.”
The “Gulf of America” incident is a prime example of a dangerous trend. Forcing journalists to adopt politically motivated terminology is not about accuracy; it’s about control. The Associated Press, a 178-year-old organization, has since sued three Trump administration officials, citing free speech Constitutional rights as their basis. The decision will have significant implications for the free press and politics.
Furthermore, Trump issued an executive order to dismantle Voice of America, a news agency that was created 1942 to counter Nazi Propaganda around the world. Trump may have cut the organization because it was federally funded, or because of his America First policies, but he also referred to it as “fake news” after criticism during his first term. He is silencing the press.
With ideas of “annexing Canada as the 51st state” and “reclaiming the Panama Canal” circulating from the White House, free press is more important now than ever. People need to be able to trust their news sources to report accurate information, so that they can be insulated from rumors.
As a people, Americans cannot sit back and let this happen. We must hold the federal government accountable and support the free press, because the media is one of the primary connections between the people and their government. Individuals learn about issues that matter to them and how their representatives act through the media. Without it, the country cannot function as a democracy and will become authoritarian.
Protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, a free press helps maintain the balance of power in government. By dictating which news outlets are “acceptable” and punishing those who question his narrative, Trump is silencing public opinion and undermining the very principles upon which America was founded.
Silencing the free press has effects on student journalism, too. Trump’s rhetoric has contributed to an environment of distrust and fear for student journalists, making it more difficult for them to do their work and potentially discouraging them from pursuing journalism. However, it has also created an environment where the importance of good journalism, and the defense of the first amendment, has become even clearer.
