Trump administration, allies move to punish outlets during his second term

Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission

Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence

Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. representative

Pete Hegseth, secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense

Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary

Kristi Noem, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Donald Trump, president of the United States

Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission

Feb. 11, 2025 | FCC opens investigation into NBC parent over DEI program

FCC Chair Brendan Carr, in a Feb. 11, 2025, letter to NBC News parent Comcast, said the agency would launch an investigation into the company’s promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

“The FCC will be taking fresh action to ensure that every entity the FCC regulates complies with the civil rights protections enshrined in the Communications Act,” Carr’s letter read, “including by shutting down any programs that promote invidious forms of DEI discrimination.”

President Donald Trump has made eliminating DEI programs a pillar of his second term, signing an executive order eliminating such programs in the federal government on Jan. 22 and pressuring private companies to follow suit. PBS News told employees on Feb. 11 that it was eliminating its DEI office to be in compliance with the administration’s policy.

Tom Wheeler, a former chair of the FCC, told The New York Times that this latest investigation fits a pattern of Carr using the commission’s authority to advance Trump’s political aims.

“It’s clear that what is going on here is — whether it be Comcast and DEI or NPR and PBS, or CBS and the ‘60 Minutes’ interview — is how can you use the coercive authority of regulation to accomplish the goals of your master and mentor, Donald Trump?” Wheeler said.

Feb. 5, 2025 | FCC opens investigation into California radio station

FCC Chair Brendan Carr launched an investigation into San Francisco, California, radio station KCBS on Feb. 5, 2025, after the station broadcast the locations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during operations in the San Jose area, Fox News reported.

Carr told Fox that he believes KCBS may have violated licensing rules requiring broadcasters to operate in the “public interest.”

Carr had previously opposed the transfer of the station’s license, following Republican scrutiny of the ownership role of billionaire investor George Soros, a Democratic megadonor whose nonprofit now controls the broadcasting outlet.

Jan. 29, 2025 | FCC opens investigations into NPR, PBS; calls on CBS to turn over interview transcript

FCC Chair Brendan Carr informed public broadcasters NPR and PBS on Jan. 29, 2025, that he had initiated an investigation into the news outlets, suggesting that they may have violated federal law by airing commercial advertisements. A copy of the letter was also shared with members of Congress, Carr wrote, because of its potential relevance to ongoing debates.

“In particular, Congress is actively considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS programming,” the letter read. “For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.”

That same day, the FCC sent a letter of inquiry to CBS News demanding that the outlet turn over the “full, unedited transcript and camera feeds” from a Kamala Harris interview on “60 Minutes” in October 2024, according to a statement published by the broadcaster.

CBS said that it was working to comply with the inquiry, “as we are legally compelled to do.” The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker was unable to obtain a copy of the inquiry as of press time.

A spokesperson for CBS told Reuters that the news organization submitted the documents to the FCC on Feb. 3. In an interview with Fox News, Carr said he was “open minded as to potential consequences” and that he would consider releasing the transcript in the interest of transparency.

CBS published the transcripts and video that it turned over to Carr on Feb. 5. “They show — consistent with 60 Minutes’ repeated assurances to the public — that the 60 Minutes broadcast was not doctored or deceitful,” the outlet wrote.

The Harris interview was the focus of a federal lawsuit filed against CBS on behalf of President Donald Trump, which alleged the network had “doctored” the broadcast in an attempt to influence the presidential election. Trump had demanded the network release unedited tapes and transcripts. CBS has maintained the claims are false and the suit without merit.

Jan. 22, 2025 | FCC chair reinstates complaints against three news outlets

Brendan Carr, a Donald Trump appointee and the new chair of the Federal Communications Commission, reinstated complaints against multiple outlets that Trump targeted leading up to and in the wake of the election, alleging their reporting was biased and aimed at swaying favor toward his opponent.

NPR reported that, shortly before leaving office, then-FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel dismissed complaints about appearances by Kamala Harris on CBS’ “60 Minutes” and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” and about how ABC News moderated the debate between Trump and former President Joe Biden.

“We don’t have the luxury of doing anything other than making very, very clear that this agency and its licensing authority should not be weaponized in a way that is fundamentally at odds with the First Amendment,” Rosenworcel said. “This agency should not be the president’s speech police and this agency shouldn’t be journalism’s censor-in-chief.”

Rosenworcel also dismissed a complaint against a Philadelphia Fox station for allegedly promoting lies about election fraud in the 2020 election.

Carr took over as FCC chair on Jan. 20, and reinstated the complaints against ABC, CBS and NBC two days later. In a statement, the agency said that the complaints had been dismissed “prematurely based on an insufficient investigatory record,” according to The Guardian.

Carr had previously demonstrated his willingness to target news outlets based on alleged bias, and he has supported Trump’s calls for NBC, CBS and ABC to lose their broadcast licenses over their alleged mistreatment of him, NPR reported.

Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence

March 14, 2025 | Investigation opened into media leaks from U.S. spy agencies

Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, announced on March 14, 2025, that the Trump administration will aggressively investigate the source of leaks from U.S. intelligence agencies to members of the media.

In posts on the social platform X, Gabbard cited recent reports by HuffPost, The Washington Post, NBC News and The Record as examples of such “politically motivated leaks.” She added that the leaks “undermine our national security and the trust of the American people, and will not be tolerated.”

The New York Times reported that, while Gabbard promised action against the leakers and not the newsrooms that publish it, it signals an effort to chill national security reporting.

“Leak investigations threaten the free flow of information that the public needs to hold the government accountable, especially in the national security context,” Bruce Brown, the president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, told the Times. “This is true from administration to administration.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. representative

March 26, 2025 | U.S. representative leads heated subcommittee hearing attacking NPR, PBS

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene led a hearing titled “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the heads of NPR and PBS accountable” on March 26, 2025, at which she questioned the chief executives of the two news outlets.

“At the DOGE Subcommittee, we are continuing our war on waste. That means rooting out spending that is unnecessary, wasteful and — frankly — un-American,” Greene said during her opening remarks. “NPR and PBS have increasingly become radical, left-wing echo chambers for a narrow audience of mostly wealthy, white, urban liberals and progressives who generally look down on and judge rural America.”

Greene went on to accuse NPR of having a “communist agenda” and PBS of being “one of the founders of the trans child abuse industry.”

NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger defended their organizations’ programming and the importance of public media during the more than two-hour-long hearing, rejecting the accusation that they pander to liberal audiences.

Rep. Stephen Lynch voiced his support for public media and castigated the hearing, saying, “For over two decades of service on this oversight committee, I’ve worked with members on both sides of the aisle to investigate issues of critical importance to the safety and security of the American people.

“So I’m sad to see that this once-proud committee — the principal investigative committee in the House of Representatives — has now stooped to the lowest levels of partisanship and political theater.”

In her closing statements, Greene announced that the committee intends to call for the dissolution of the government-backed Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides around 1% of NPR’s budget and 16% of that of PBS.

“I think from what we have heard here today, the American people will not continue to allow such propaganda to be funded through the federal government with their hard-earned tax dollars,” Greene said. “We believe that you all can hate us on your own dime.”

Rep. Ronny Jackson plans to introduce a bill on March 27 to pull all government funding from NPR and PBS, Fox News reported. Jackson introduced a similar bill in 2023, but it didn’t make it out of committee.

According to CPB, the majority of the approximately $500 million it is appropriated each year is distributed to local broadcast and radio stations. Funding for the nonprofit corporation was extended on March 14, with the House and Senate approving $535 million for 2027.

“Public media in the United States is a highly efficient public-private partnership that delivers a strong return on the taxpayers’ investment,” CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said in a statement at the time. “With the support of Congress and the American people, CPB will continue to prioritize educational content and resources for families, provide essential local reporting and public safety information, and pursue technology advancements that enhance public media’s connection with audiences across multiple platforms.”

Feb. 3, 2025 | U.S. representative summons NPR, PBS to oversight hearing

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sent letters to the CEOs of public broadcasters NPR and PBS on Feb. 3, 2025, summoning them to testify in March before the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.

The letters both said that the subcommittee is concerned about the outlets’ “blatantly ideological and partisan coverage” and seeks to better understand their “position on providing Americans with accurate information.”

Greene specifically cited PBS reporting on Elon Musk making “what appeared to be a fascist salute” during the official post-inauguration celebration on Jan. 20, as well as NPR’s decision not to report on Hunter Biden’s laptop in 2020.

The news outlets’ reporting, Greene wrote, “should serve the entire public, not just a narrow slice of like-minded individuals and ideological interest groups.”

NPR said in a statement that it strives to hold itself to the highest standards of journalism, citing its publicly available standards and ethics guidelines, and the presence of a public editor.

“We welcome the opportunity to discuss the critical role of public media in delivering impartial, fact-based news and reporting to the American public,” the statement said.

PBS did not respond to a request for comment.

Jan. 20, 2025 | U.S. representative threatens PBS funding

Just hours after Donald Trump’s swearing-in on Jan. 25, 2025, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene took to social media to attack PBS News for reporting that Trump appointee Elon Musk gave “what appeared to be a fascist salute” while speaking at the official post-inauguration celebration in Washington, D.C.

“As the Chairwoman of the Oversight Subcommittee on DOGE (Department of Government Oversight), I look forward to PBS @NewsHour coming before my committee and explaining why lying and spreading propaganda to serve the Democrat party and attack Republicans is a good use of taxpayer funds,” Greene posted. “We will be in touch soon.”

Congress provides indirect grant support to PBS, as well as NPR, through funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, appropriating $535 million for 2025. Trump’s first administration proposed eliminating all federal funding for PBS, and Trump made similar calls on social media in the lead-up to the 2024 election.

Pete Hegseth, secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense

March 21, 2025 | Defense Department announces investigation into media leaks

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office sent a memo on March 21, 2025, initiating an investigation into “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information.”

“This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense,” wrote Joe Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff. “I expect to be informed immediately if this effort results in information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure, and that such information will be referred to the appropriate criminal law enforcement entity for criminal prosecution.”

The memo also noted that department employees will be subject to polygraph exams “in accordance with applicable law and policy.”

The memo came hours after Elon Musk, head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, posted on social media calling The New York Times’ reporting on the planned content of his briefing at the Pentagon “pure propaganda.”

“I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT,” Musk wrote. “They will be found.”

Musk’s meeting with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ultimately did not take place, Reuters reported.

A Times spokesperson told Reuters that leak investigations are “meant to chill communications between journalists and their sources and undermine the ability of a free press to bring out vital information that may otherwise be hidden.”

Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary

Feb. 12, 2025 | White House defends AP ban, claims news agency is pushing ‘lies’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the barring of reporters for The Associated Press from multiple events at the White House during a news briefing on Feb. 12, 2025.

In a letter objecting to the decision, AP Executive Editor Julie Pace wrote that Leavitt had warned the newsroom that its reporters would not be allowed to attend White House events if it didn’t align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

AP reporters were barred from attending multiple events between Feb. 11 and 13; it was unclear whether AP reporters would also be excluded from subsequent White House events.

“The actions taken by the White House were plainly intended to punish the AP for the content of its speech,” Pace wrote. “It is among the most basic tenets of the First Amendment that the government cannot retaliate against the public or the press for what they say. This is viewpoint discrimination based on a news organization’s editorial choices and a clear violation of the First Amendment.”

During a news briefing on Feb. 12, CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins asked whether the decision to exclude the AP was “setting a precedent that this White House will retaliate against reporters who don’t use the language that you guys believe reporters should use.”

Leavitt replied: “I was very upfront in my briefing on Day 1 that if we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable. And it is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America. And I am not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that but that is what it is.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association quickly condemned the move, according to The Hill. “The White House cannot dictate how news organizations report the news, nor should it penalize working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors’ decisions,” the WHCA said.

Jan. 28, 2025 | Press secretary echoes media lie accusations

While President Donald Trump, in one of his first executive orders, extolled the importance of “restoring freedom of speech and ending federal censorship,” an attitude of hostility toward the press was perpetuated by the White House itself.

Karoline Leavitt, in her first briefing as press secretary Jan. 28, 2025, pushed Trump’s allegations that outlets had deliberately lied in order to hurt his campaign and administration.

“We know for a fact that there have been lies that have been pushed by many legacy media outlets in this country about this president, about his family, and we will not accept that. We will call you out when we feel that your reporting is wrong, or there is misinformation about this White House,” Leavitt said. “So yes, I will hold myself to the truth and I expect everyone in this room to do the same.”

Leavitt also told reporters, “All of you once again have access to the most transparent and accessible president in American history.” But in what appears to be a snub to mainstream media, hard passes and access to the briefing room will also be extended to members of the “new media” — who Leavitt described as “independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers and content creators” — as long as they are producing “legitimate news content.”

Leavitt did not respond directly to a question about how often she will be giving news briefings, which Trump halted during the second half of his first term, citing unfair media treatment.

“The president is the best spokesperson that this White House has,” Leavitt said, “and I can assure you that you will be hearing from both him and me as much as possible.”

Kristi Noem, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

March 9, 2025 | DHS secretary pledges to use lie detectors to identify leakers

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on March 9, 2025, that the department would subject employees to polygraph exams as part of its investigation into the source of leaks to the media.

Noem announced on March 7 that two individuals who allegedly leaked details about immigration enforcement operations have been identified and will face felony prosecution. She told CBS two days later that the leak investigations are ongoing and that she plans on using the full power of her office to ensure “that we’re following the law, that we are following the procedures in place to keep people safe.”

“Anyone who is leaking information outside of how something is planned for the safety of those law enforcement officers needs to be held accountable for that,” Noem added.

The Associated Press reported that while polygraphs are not typically admissible in court, they are often used by federal law enforcement, including for national security clearances.

“The Department of Homeland Security is a national security agency,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to the news agency. “We can, should, and will polygraph personnel.”

March 7, 2025 | DHS secretary threatens to sue South Dakota newspaper over coverage

A personal attorney for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem threatened on March 7, 2025, to sue The Dakota Scout, an independent newspaper based in Sioux City, South Dakota, after the outlet reported on Noem’s use of two taxpayer-backed credit cards.

The Scout and KSFL-TV reviewed thousands of pages of credit card receipts totaling approximately $650,000 from Noem’s tenure as the state’s governor. The bulk of the expenses were on airfare, rental cars and hotel accommodations for Noem’s security detail, in connection with her appearances at campaign rallies and as a speaker at conservative events, according to the Scout.

In a cease and desist letter emailed to the Scout in the early hours of March 7, Noem’s personal lawyer Trevor Stanley alleged that the outlet had published “false, misleading, and inaccurate statements” concerning the spending, KSFL-TV reported. Stanley specifically asserted that Noem had only personally charged $2,000, and demanded that the outlet stop reporting differently.

“Otherwise, we will consider all legal remedies, including a lawsuit seeking maximum compensatory and punitive damages, that we estimate at millions of dollars,” Stanley wrote.

According to a podcast with Scout co-founders and reporters Joe Sneve and Jonathan Ellis, they only obtained the receipts after filing a lawsuit to obtain the public records. They were also threatened with a restraining order to claw back the files after they were released.

Sneve said that Noem’s cease and desist letter is a blatant attempt to chill their reporting, and that he wouldn’t stand idle when individuals attempt to “saber rattle” in order to “intimidate good, honest reporters who are just trying to provide a service that shouldn’t even be hard to provide.”

The newsroom, he added, remains undaunted. “I would highly doubt they even file a lawsuit,” Sneve said. “And if they did, I’m not losing any sleep over that.”

Donald Trump, president of the United States

March 14, 2025 | Trump signs executive order gutting government-funded news outlets

In a late-night executive order, President Donald Trump eliminated all functions not required by law for the United States Agency for Global Media, along with a half-dozen other federal agencies, referring to them as “unnecessary governmental entities.”

The USAGM oversees Voice of America and the office that manages Radio and TV Martí, as well as provides funding for private international broadcasters Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.

Michael Abramowitz, director of Voice of America, confirmed in a March 15 statement on his personal Facebook page that he and nearly the entire staff of the news organization — more than 1,300 journalists, producers and support staff — had been suspended.

“I am deeply saddened that for the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced,” Abramowitz wrote. “VOA needs thoughtful reform, and we have made progress in that regard. But today’s action will leave Voice of America unable to carry out its vital mission.”

No articles have been published on the VOA website since around 2 p.m. on March 15. The Independent reported that by the following night, many of the employees placed on leave had been fired, including press freedom reporter Liam Scott.

NPR reported that USAGM also severed its contracts with the private international broadcasters it funds.

In a March 15 news release, the White House railed against “The Voice of Radical America,” and said Trump’s executive order “will ensure that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda.”

Elon Musk, head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, had called for the USAGM news outlets to be shut down in early February, writing, “It’s just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money.”

Grant Turner, a former senior executive at USAGM, called the cuts “Bloody Saturday” and told NPR, “It took decades to build this goodwill and an audience of hundreds of millions every week. Seeing arsonists just set fire to it all is awful.”

Steve Capus, the president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said in a statement shared with NPR, “The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s grant agreement would be a massive gift to America’s enemies.”

March 14, 2025 | Trump says negative press coverage ‘illegal’ during speech at DOJ

President Donald Trump called the critical news coverage of his administration “illegal” and “corrupt” during a speech at the Department of Justice on March 14, 2025.

Amid his nearly hourlong remarks, Trump said that many judges, including those on the Supreme Court, “take tremendous abuse” from news outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and broadcast networks, likening the coverage to judicial interference. “It’s truly interference in my opinion and it should be illegal and it probably is illegal in some form,” Trump said.

He went on to claim that CNN and MSNBC are “political arms of the Democrat Party.”

“These networks and these newspapers are really no different than a highly paid political operative and it has to stop, it has to be illegal,” Trump said.

As Trump decried his perceived enemies in the media, justice system and nonprofit sector, he advanced the DOJ as a tool to exact his personal vengeance. He asserted that he is the chief law enforcement officer — which The Associated Press reported is technically Attorney General Pam Bondi — and as such will demand “full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that have occurred.”