Overview
- A Pew Research Center study reports 44% of U.S. adults say the press has become less free during the current Trump administration while 12% say it is more free.
- Views break sharply by party: about seven in ten Democrats see press freedom eroding compared with roughly one in seven Republicans, according to the survey.
- Most Americans still rate press freedom as very or extremely important, but a slim majority prioritize preventing inaccurate reporting over unrestricted press access.
- The Trump administration has pursued lawsuits against major outlets, restricted Pentagon and White House access for some reporters, and the Justice Department has issued subpoenas for New York Times reporters.
- News organizations and courts have pushed back: a federal judge ruled the effort to defund PBS and NPR violated the First Amendment, and ABC has sued the FCC over license-renewal orders and related investigations.