3. Censorship of Media
Shutting Out the Press
When critical voices start disappearing like socks in the dryer, pay attention. Censorship is about more than what people can say. It's also about silencing the institutions that ask hard questions.
“A media ecosystem dominated by propaganda and devoid of criticism is one of the telltale signs of fascism.”
The destruction of a free press is a clear sign that democracy is being dismantled. And Trump's war on reporters got a lot louder this year.
- September 18: Trump announced he was banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House because he didn't like their coverage.
- September 19: The Secret Service turned their reporters away at the gate and took their press passes.
- September 24: Judge Timothy Kelly, who Trump himself appointed, ordered the White House to let them back in. He said the ban likely broke the Constitution.
- September 30: The White House kicked CNN out of the press pool for Trump's trip to Texas and Oklahoma anyway.
That's not all.
In July, federal agents showed up at the homes of New York Times reporters with subpoenas.
Earlier this year, agents searched the home of a Washington Post reporter and seized her devices. She had a list of thousands of sources inside the federal government. Now the Trump DOJ has it.
The message to every government worker is loud and clear: Do not talk to the press.
Trump has also said, more than once, that certain networks should "have their FCC licenses revoked."
Count how many news outlets have settled lawsuits with him. His speech at the DOJ back in March 2025 was openly authoritarian.
In September 2025, FCC Chair Brendan Carr went on Benny Johnson's podcast and said ABC should deal with Jimmy Kimmel or the network could face consequences.
What was a far-fetched threat when I first wrote this list became real. Public blowback worked, and Kimmel was back on the air.
Who Owns the News?
Meanwhile, Trump's billionaire friends keep buying up the companies that report the news in America.
- Larry Ellison's son, David, runs Paramount, which owns CBS News. Larry Ellison's Oracle is also part of the group that took over TikTok in the U.S.
- Paramount is now buying Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN. Larry Ellison personally guaranteed tens of billions of dollars of the deal. This week, a judge cleared the last hurdle for it to close.
- Elon Musk owns X. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads), bent the knee a long time ago.
So the network Trump just tried to ban from the White House is about to be owned by his buddy's family. What could go wrong?
Government-Approved News Only
In a country without a free press, blind loyalty replaces critical thinking. The government's wins get a parade. Its failures get swept under the rug ("Signalgate," anyone?).
If you ever find yourself watching a news segment that feels less like journalism and more like a state-sponsored news channel, you'll know we've crossed a line.
When only government-approved news is allowed, nobody can hold leaders accountable. That's the whole point.
