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As Donald Trump prepares to take office once again, journalists are bracing for a renewed climate of hostility. With Trump’s history of labeling the press as "enemies of the people" and threatening retaliation against his perceived adversaries, many in the media industry are concerned about what lies ahead.
Media executives and press freedom advocates warn of potential threats on multiple fronts. These include lawsuits, efforts to expose anonymous sources, physical intimidation, attacks on public media, and challenges to libel protections.
The sense of unease is compounded by Trump’s recent rhetoric and appointments, which signal a confrontational approach to the media.
During a news conference on Monday, Trump stated, “We have to straighten out the press,” and accused the media of being "very corrupt, almost as corrupt as our elections." He also highlighted potential lawsuits against outlets like the Des Moines Register over polling results that he claimed were fraudulent.
Trump has also filed lawsuits against CBS for its interview edits of Vice President Kamala Harris and pressured ABC News to surrender its broadcast license for fact-checking him. ABC settled a defamation lawsuit with Trump, paying $15 million toward his presidential library after anchor George Stephanopoulos inaccurately stated that Trump had been “found liable for rape” in writer E. Jean Carroll’s civil trial.
Concerns about potential retaliation are not limited to rhetoric. Trump’s appointees raise alarms as well. Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director, once declared that he would “come after people in the media who lied about American citizens.”
Other appointments, such as Brendan Carr as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, are seen as figures who could further complicate journalists' ability to do their work freely.
Media advocates worry that a Department of Justice policy protecting journalists from having their records seized during leak investigations may be reversed under the new administration.
Reporters are being urged to protect their data and avoid storing sensitive information on the cloud. ProPublica's editor-in-chief Stephen Engelberg advised, “If you have something you don’t want to share with a broader audience, don’t put it on the cloud.”
The climate of fear extends beyond newsrooms. The literary and human rights organization PEN America has expressed concerns about physical threats to journalists.
The group's program director, Viktorya Vilk, criticized Trump's previous rhetoric, including remarks where he joked about “shooting through the fake news” at a rally. “It’s important that the president act with responsibility to reduce physical violence against the press rather than encourage it,” Vilk said.
The hostility toward journalists is not new. During Trump’s first term, reporters covering immigration faced detentions, screenings, and questioning at border crossings. Some are worried these tactics may return.
Sen.John Kennedy of Louisiana recently proposed legislation to end taxpayer funding for public media, a move that aligns with a long-standing goal of many Republicans. There are also indications that certain U.S. Supreme Court justices are open to revisiting legal precedents that make it difficult to sue news organizations for defamation.
The idea that Trump will use every available tool to attack the press is shared by many in the industry. Former Washington Post editor Martin Baron recently told NPR, “I do think he will use every tool in his toolbox, and there are a lot of tools.”
This prediction reflects the widespread belief that the incoming administration will make life harder for journalists on all fronts — legally, financially, and physically.
There are international parallels fueling this concern. Advocates point to Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban has steadily taken control of the media since 2010, turning most outlets into government propaganda tools.
Hungarian investigative journalist Andras Petho, who left a news website after facing pressure to water down his reporting, warned that such a scenario could happen in the U.S.
“Don’t think that can’t happen in the United States,” Petho said. While Hungary still has a market for independent journalism, the repression of media outlets has reduced the influence of journalists on government accountability.
Despite that, Petho believes journalists must continue doing their work without portraying themselves as "resistance" figures, which could be weaponized against them by the government. “To be honest, we all have to accept and admit that our power as media has declined,” Petho said. “But I wouldn’t underestimate the power of the news media, either.”
For now, journalists and media organizations are gearing up for a challenging era ahead. While it remains unclear how far Trump will go in his crackdown on the press, newsrooms are preparing for a combination of lawsuits, public intimidation, and regulatory action.
With a growing playbook of tactics used to pressure journalists, media advocates argue that protecting press freedom will require vigilance, strategy, and resilience in the face of growing adversity.
