President Trump and NBC’s Kristen Welker have managed to turn two ordinary words—“mixed results”—into a national argument about political influence, media bias, federal authority, and the First Amendment. Apparently, Washington had a quiet moment and needed something to do. The dispute began when Welker, appearing in a live promotional segment on NBC-owned WRC-TV before Meet…
The Air Force One Leak Investigation and the Boundaries of Press Freedom
The Justice Department’s attempt to identify confidential sources behind The New York Times’ reporting on the Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet has created a serious clash between two legitimate public interests: protecting national-security information and preserving a free press capable of investigating the government. The Hill reported that the DOJ sought communications records connected to…
Truth, Libel, and the Media’s Very Expensive Hall Pass
Few Supreme Court precedents have shaped American political speech more than New York Times v. Sullivan, the 1964 decision that made it much harder for public officials, and later public figures, to win defamation lawsuits. Supporters say that high bar protects free debate, especially criticism of powerful people. Critics say it’s become a legal bunker…
Trump vs. The New York Times
Last week, on Monday, September 16, President Trump decided to take his long-simmering feud with The New York Times from the podium to the courtroom, filing a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the paper, several of its reporters, and even its publisher, Penguin Random House. The suit accused them of maliciously distorting his business record,…
Trump, the Media, and the Battle for Truth
If there’s one thing we can always count on in American politics, it’s that the media will loudly proclaim its commitment to "free and independent journalism"—while simultaneously doing everything in its power to suppress viewpoints it doesn’t like. The latest controversy? The Trump White House has decided to take control of the presidential press pool,…
The Independent Christian Conservative 