Trump threatens media of darker days if he wins electionExBulletin

Former President Donald Trump, on camera, speaks to the press as he arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court February 15 for a hearing in his case of paying hush money to cover up extramarital affairs. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images .

switch captionTimothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump often enjoys press attention. Just as often, he trashes the press and threatens journalists.

On the campaign trail and in interviews, Trump has suggested that if he returns to the White House, he will take revenge on the media that angers him.

Specifically, Trump vowed to throw journalists in jail and strip major TV networks of their broadcast licenses in retaliation for coverage he didn't like.

“This speaks directly to the First Amendment and the First Amendment is the cornerstone of our democracy,” Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, told NPR.

To be clear, the government does not license national networks like those targeted by Trump, but the FCC does allow local television and radio stations to use the public airwaves.

“While the FCC has the authority to grant licenses for television and radio, it is fundamental that we do not remove them because a political candidate disagrees with or does not like any type of content or coverage,” Rosenworcel said.

Trump's statements come at a time of growing concern about his autocratic impulses. And press advocates say it intentionally fuels a climate hostile to independent reporting.

One in three journalists say they have been confronted with violence or the threat of it

“President Trump was a champion of free speech. Everyone was safer under President Trump, including journalists,” a Republican National Committee spokeswoman wrote to NPR in response to questions about these concerns.

Despite this, a new survey of hundreds of journalists who received safety training from the International Foundation for Women in Media finds that 36% say they have faced or threatened physical violence at work and are felt particularly threatened at Trump campaign rallies.

“Journalists reported feeling very unsafe while covering Trump rallies and 'Stop the Steal' protests, particularly when some Trump supporters and protesters openly carry weapons,” the report said.

While campaigning for Republican congressional candidates in 2022, Trump repeatedly pledged to jail journalists who failed to identify confidential sources on stories he considered to have national security implications.

He joked that the prospect of prison rape would relax journalists' lips about their sources.

“When this person realizes that they are soon to become the wife of another prisoner, they will say, 'I would love to tell you exactly who that was,'” Trump told a cheering crowd at the a rally in Texas. And Trump said he wouldn't limit himself to journalists: “So does the publisher or the main editors.” He made the same statement two weeks later at a rally in Ohio.

Media reports cover a roundtable discussion that former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, participated in with Latin American leaders on October 22 in Doral, Florida. Alex Brandon/AP .

. Alex Brandon/AP Threats to investigate TV networks and take them off the air

Last year, Trump called for NBC News to be investigated for treason over its coverage of the criminal charges he faces. After its only debate with Vice President Harris this summer, it was ABC's turn to face Trump's wrath. Trump expressed anger at the moderators' decision to fact-check. He appeared on Fox & Friends the next day with a warning.

“I think ABC took a big hit last night,” Trump said. “I mean, to be honest, it's a news agency. They have to have a license to do this. They should take away their license for the way they're doing this.”

This month, Trump did it again, repeatedly criticizing CBS for its handling of the vice presidential debate and the network's interview with Harris on 60 Minutes. He pointed to two versions of a response Harris gave, one on 60 Minutes and another on Face the Nation, to claim that CBS was misleading viewers to help the Democrat.

“Think about that,” Trump told attendees at a rally in Aurora, Colorado, this month. “CBS gets a license. And a license is based on honesty. I think they need to revoke their license. I do.”

And on Sunday, Trump reiterated his complaint to Fox News' Howard Kurtz. “This is the biggest scandal I’ve ever seen for a broadcaster,” Trump said. “60 Minutes, I think it should be taken off the air, frankly.”

CBS and 60 Minutes rejected the claim that the network deceptively manipulated Harris' interview because it showed a shorter excerpt of her response to the same question on 60 Minutes. “The 60 Minutes portion of her response was more succinct, leaving time for other topics in a broad 21-minute segment,” she said in a statement Sunday evening.

Again, news agencies do not need a license to operate unless they are local television or radio stations. The parent companies of CBS, ABC and NBC own more than 80 local stations among them. All three declined to comment for this story.

A commitment to placing an independent agency under the control of the president

The Federal Communications Commission was established 90 years ago as an independent agency. Although Rosenworcel was appointed chair by President Biden, she is not subject to his direction or that of any president. The FCC receives funding and oversight from Congress.

Last year, however, Trump posted a video on social media promising to put the agency under full control of the White House.

“I will bring independent regulatory agencies like the FCC and FTC back under presidential authority, as the Constitution requires,” Trump said, although such an effort would certainly face a legal challenge. “These agencies cannot become a fourth branch of government issuing rules and executive orders on their own and that is what they have done.”

Several former television network executives, requesting anonymity to avoid being involved in the campaign, said they feared the consequences of Trump's stance on pursuing journalists' secret sources more than threats to remove the broadcast licenses.

In recent decades, fingerprints have made it easier for investigators to trace contacts between officials and journalists.

“We can't let this become normal,” Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said of threats to media independence. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images .

switch captionKevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Under both Democratic and Republican administrations, prosecutors prosecuting leakers have requested these documents from journalists. (Previously, presidential candidates had not raised the issue on the campaign trail, except now for Trump.)

After taking office, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland changed his policy, effectively banning the Justice Department's practice of subpoenaing journalists' records except in rare cases.

At the New York Times, executives worry about what might happen under a more media-hostile president.

“[Publisher A.G. Sulzberger] “dedicated a team of people and significant effort to studying how rule of law protections for the press could be eroded either by authoritarian leaders or by populist leaders who rally their supporters against independent media,” Times executive editor Joseph Kahn recently told NPR's Steve Inskeep, “We shouldn't pretend that they're only vulnerable in places like Hungary or Turkey…They're only vulnerable here.” are vulnerable.”

As president, Trump helped allies such as Rupert Murdoch, the founder of Fox News. (Trump recently said on Fox & Friends that he would ask Murdoch to block Fox News from airing the Harris campaigns' negative ads about him.)

Trump also tried to punish media outlets that criticized him. His administration has sought to block the takeover of CNN's parent company. He also tried to deny a cloud computing contract to Amazon, founded by Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos.

“It’s the frequency of these attacks on the First Amendment that strikes me most,” said FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel.

As a federal employee, Rosenworcel says, she almost invariably refrains from public comment on political issues during election time. But she said she couldn't let it pass without acknowledging it.

Similarly, Rosenworcel criticized threats of lawsuits made by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' administration against local television stations that air ads advocating greater abortion rights in the state. The Florida Department of Health lawyer who sent the letters to Florida TV stations has resigned, saying DeSantis aides ordered him to send the letters.

“We cannot let this become normal,” Rosenworcel says of threats to press independence. “If you want to maintain a democracy, you have to defend it.”

NPR investigative reporter Tom Dreisbach contributed to this story.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos