Trump’s wild threats put press freedom in the crosshairs in second term

Donald Trump could have an easier time limiting press freedom in his second term in the White House after a campaign marked by virulent rhetoric towards journalists and calls for punishing television networks and prosecuting journalists and their sources, legal scholars and journalism advocacy groups warn. Aside from worries about Trump’s demonization of the press inciting violence against journalists, free press advocates appear to be most alarmed by Trump’s call for the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revoke TV networks’ broadcast licenses and talk of jailing journalists who refuse to reveal anonymous sources. Still, despite a conservative majority on the Supreme Court and likely Republican control of the House and Senate, those same people also say that America’s robust First Amendment protections and a legislative proposal and technology to protect sources mean that a diminished press under Trump is not a certainty.