How Trump's attacks on press freedom threaten creators and nonprofits, not just journalists

Freedom of the press usually gets talked about in grandiose terms. It's a big national issue that most people can't wrap their arms around. But now more than ever it has very tangible local impacts. For example...

Today, Trump’s all-out war on the First Amendment is giving petty local tyrants permission to take measures that would have been unthinkable a few years back. In Clarksdale, Miss., city officials went before a friendly judge this week and — without a hearing — won a court order commanding the local newspaper to take down an online editorial criticizing them.

This comes from a Will Bunch piece in February 20th Philadelphia Inquirer: Trump's rapid obliteration of the First Amendment is fit for a king. He includes many more examples. Feel free to click. It's a gift link.

American news is diverse but institutionally weak. That creators, journalists and nonprofits at risk.

It seems to me that today there's a lot of debate about what is news or what is journalism. What's the role of creators and influencers? I'm not advocating for or against the role of creator journalism. Fact remains, Americans are getting their news from all kinds of sources and people. This chart comes from a Pew Research Center survey about news influencers. See also this much longer Nov 2024 Pew report on news influencers in the US.

In a world where "everyone is a journalist," the question of press freedom is paramount.

It's far easier to pressure an individual creator (even one with full-blown team like, say, Ben Shapiro) than to sway a corporation like the New York or Los Angeles Times. Though corporations with big money at stake can be pushed around.

Point being, if you think public trust in news is low now you probably haven't seen anything yet. And if nobody know who to trust or who is under the thumb of a President's lawsuit, a Department of Justice investigation, a Federal Communications Commission ruling, or just some small town judge's misguided interpretation of the First Amendment then local news, in particular, is in grave danger.

So are cities, towns and counties. So are school districts and water districts. And so are police and fire departments.

Local news organizations, and even local news influencers or Facebook groups, are as vital to a healthy community as good schools, thriving civic groups, a stable tax base, clean water and accessible housing.

Nonprofits, civic organizations and local businesses of all sizes are also at risk. Nonprofits, for instance, rely on local and national news to bring attention to local needs, corruption, and all sorts of social injustice.

Nonprofit organizations are also prolific communicators. A willingness to muzzle journalists and news organizations should be seen as a direct threat against nonprofits and community organizations, particularly those that engage in any sort of social or political advocacy.

Many nonprofits are already self-censoring or considering it. This isn't a surprise. Last November's debate over a bill that would allow Treasury to yank a nonprofit's tax-exempt status, sure to return in some form, was a warning shot.

An inability to speak openly about local or national public policy and its impact on the lives of people may be an insurmountable burden to organizations already strugging with fundraising, meeting the mission, and organizational relevance.

What's next?

I don't exactly know and I don't think anyone does. But there needs to be a lot more dialog, discussion and preparation among news organizations, community groups and hopefully local leaders, funders, businesses and more.

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism's work on local news ecosystems seems like a great step forward. More work like this, in official or unofficial capacities, needs to happen.

I know that many working in journalism advocacy and local news funding are thinking and working on this. But is the urgency for collaborative action seeping into the broader nonprofit and civic sectors? I'm not so sure. We need so much more.

I'll end with another quote from Will Bunch.

Placing a giant muzzle on our journalistic watchdogs is a means to an end, which is American monarchy...His frontal assault on the First Amendment may mark Trump’s greatest and most insidious victory, so far.

Top photo via Public Domain Image Archive. Featured on PDR in the collection John H. White’s Photographs of Black Chicago for DOCUMERICA (1973–74).