Trump's attacks on the media lose intensity amid fierce defense and courts' steadfast commitment to press freedom
New York (AFP) – After reaching substantial settlements in lawsuits filed against ABC and CBS, it appears that Donald Trump’s assault on the media in the courtroom is facing fierce opponents and courts steadfast in defending press freedom.
In late July, the Department of Justice withdrew subpoenas issued to journalists at The New York Times who had written articles about the security level of the new presidential aircraft, after a federal judge criticized the U.S. administration’s weak legal approach, deeming it a violation of the protections afforded to journalists and their sources.
Legal proceedings regarding defamation cases targeting The New York Times, due to articles published in it and a book about the Republican billionaire’s wealth, as well as The Wall Street Journal, over an obscene letter Trump sent to Jeffrey Epstein, are currently at a standstill.
Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University in Boston, said, “If you are prepared to face Trump, you will generally fare reasonably well in court, given the narrow legal basis of the lawsuits he has filed.”
The proceedings involving ABC and CBS ended with commitments to pay $15 million and $16 million, respectively. The former was accused of defamation following a ruling against Trump in a civil case related to sexual assault, while the latter was accused of deceiving viewers by broadcasting different clips from a single response given by Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024.
However, most legal experts believe the courts would have dismissed the U.S. president’s complaints in these two cases.
Kennedy noted that Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, which was seeking regulatory approval to merge with Skydance, and ABC, owned by Disney, reached these agreements for “commercial reasons.”
After the network decided to keep its comedy show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, which criticizes the U.S. president and his circle, and to not broadcast Donald Trump’s address to the nation in which he spoke about alleged election fraud, it faced the threat of having some of its local channel licenses revoked.
In another case involving the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which Trump is demanding $10 billion from for allegedly recording one of his speeches in a manner he considered deceptive, the corporation has adopted a strategy that experts view as increasingly expansive, requiring the relevant parties to provide financial documents detailing the damages incurred.
However, according to experts, the president’s actual goal is not to win these legal battles.
Kennedy said, “If we go back to the beginning of his political career, undermining the credibility of the media and presenting himself as the only reliable source of information, at least in the eyes of his supporters, has always been at the heart of Trump’s strategy.”
Bolson, for his part, pointed out that “Trump and his lawyers are not deluding themselves about their chances of winning these court battles. However, the proceedings could take years and cost millions of dollars, which constitutes sufficient pressure to ultimately sign a check, according to Trump’s business experience.”
Kennedy fears an attack on the Supreme Court ruling that protects journalists from defamation lawsuits, except in cases where “actual malice” is proven, by public officials.
But “fortunately, there are currently no indications that the Supreme Court is prepared to consider this idea.”
