Chill Wind Blows Charles M. Blow JUNE 2, 2016

New Post Public Reply Private Reply Replies (0) Message Board

Jun 2, 2016 at 4:36 PM

Quote:

Chill Wind Blows

Charles M. Blow JUNE 2, 2016

Quote:

This idea is so much bigger than Trump, a small man of small thought who is at war with scrutiny.

Donald Trump, a man who tosses the truth around with the callous disdain of a spoiled child with a toy he has outgrown, has spent much of his campaign calling the media dishonest, even though his manipulation of the media is the only reason he’s the last Republican standing.

He seems to view any unflattering, or otherwise critical, coverage as an attack. His rhetoric suggests that in his mind, adulation is the only honesty.

Such is his wont. And no Republican in a party that continues to veer dangerously toward fact-hostile absolutism has ever lost points with his base by calling the media biased against him.

But there is a strand of these comments and behavior that heralds something more dangerous than an ideological animosity toward the press. Trump keeps signaling that if he had his druthers, he would silence dissent altogether.

At a spectacle of a news conference on Tuesday, Trump laid into reporters for asking simple accountability questions about funds going to charity groups. He even called one reporter a “sleaze” and complained that coverage of his donations to the groups “make me look very bad.”

This isn’t the first time he has used base language to attack reporters with whom he disagreed or was annoyed. The New York Times has collected a comprehensive list of his Twitter insults (often waged against journalists), which simply boggles the mind. (I am among those he has accused of “dishonest reporting.”)

But even that isn’t what’s most troubling. What’s troubling is that under a Trump administration, the First Amendment itself — either in spirit or in law, or both — could be severely weakened. What we have to worry about is a chill wind blowing from the White House.

This is no small thing. Our constitutionally protected freedom of speech and freedom of the press are pillars that make this country great, and different.

Not only did Trump say Tuesday that if he became president he was going to “continue to attack the press,” but in February, he said:

One of the things I’m going to do if I win, and I hope we do and we’re certainly leading. I’m going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money.

We’re going to open up those libel laws. So that when The New York Times writes a hit piece which is a total disgrace or when The Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they’re totally protected.

Exceptions for falsehoods are already part of our libel jurisprudence, but the worrisome nature of that comment lies in its vagueness. What does “open up our libel laws” mean? Is he equating “purposely negative” and “horrible” — both subjective determinations — with “false”?

These principles of free press and free speech, which are almost as old as the country itself, are not things to be tinkered with on the whim of a thin-skinned man who has said flattering things about dictators like North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, ruler of a country that the press watchdog group Freedom House calls “one of the most repressive media environments in the world,” where “listening to unauthorized foreign broadcasts and possessing dissident publications are considered ‘crimes against the state’ that carry serious punishments, including hard labor, prison sentences, and the death penalty.”

It should come as no surprise, then, that this week Time magazine reported that “a North Korean state media outlet has praised Donald Trump as a ‘wise politician’ and ‘farsighted candidate’ who can reunify the Korean Peninsula.”

Trump’s dictatorial instinct to suppress what he deems “negative” speech, particularly from the press, is the very thing the founders worried about.

In 1737, more than 50 years before the Constitution was adopted, signed and ratified — before the First Amendment was adopted — Benjamin Franklin wrote in The Pennsylvania Gazette:

“Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins. Republics and limited monarchies derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the action of the magistrates.”

Our unfettered freedom to interrogate and criticize our government and our leaders are part of our patriotism and an expression of our national fealty.

James Baldwin put it this way: “I love America more than any other country in the world, and exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

And that extends to the country’s politicians.

This idea is so much bigger than Trump, a small man of small thought who is at war with scrutiny.

Freedom of speech and the press are principles that we must protect from this wannabe authoritarian.

Newer

Older

Scroll down for more posts ▼

Top 10 Most Recent News Articles

First Horizon's $25M Bet: New Center Transforms Houston

New Markets Tax Credits: A Game Changer First things first, if you're thinking this is some typical charitable write-off, think again. First Horizon Bank (NYSE: FHN) is deep in the mix of something pretty transformative in the world of finance and community support. They're not just throwing money at a problem and hoping it sticks. Nope, we're talking real strategy with a...

BETR's Slide: Investors Face Big Losses, Leadership Shift

BETR Investors Left in the Lurch It's a real trainwreck, folks. Better Home & Finance Holding Company, trading under NASDAQ:BETR, is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The company expanded the class period for its investor lawsuit to include even more dates between March and August 2026, reflecting a torturous ride for shareholders. Their stock cratered by a...

Beko Pushes for Policy Synergy Amidst Carbon Shakeup

When big names like Beko step up on the global stage, you pay attention. During the COP31 panels in Antalya, Türkiye, the company's brass made one thing clear: we need harmony in how climate, trade, and finance policies come together. The stakes? The very strength of industrial competitiveness as new carbon rules turn the heat up on manufacturing practices. The Call for...

Servier's Data on Tovorafenib Shows Promise in pLGG

New Light on a Critical Challenge Talk about a fight in the dark. Pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG) is a menace that families dread, an uphill battle with odds that feel relentless. Enter Servier and its four-year updated data on OJEMDA® (tovorafenib), a beacon of hope for kids battling these tricky brain tumors. Results, presented at the SNO meeting, are fresh off the...

Retirement Dreams Dashed: 61% Withdraw Early

By Olivia Taylor Updated Nov 14, 2026 Category News Views 183

Retirement Caught in the Crosshairs Just when you think the path to retirement might clear up, life slaps down older workers with economic reality. A recent LiveCareer survey underscores this financial mess, revealing that 61% of those 50 and older are raiding their own retirement funds to make ends meet. It's enough to make one's head spin. Inflation: The Unwanted Guest...

HiTHIUM Joins Cambridge to Boost Global Energy Storage

HiTHIUM and Cambridge's New Energy Venture There's a big splash coming out of Xiamen, folks. HiTHIUM, a heavyweight in the energy storage sector, has decided to team up with the University of Cambridge. They inked a deal aiming to bridge the academic ivory tower with industrial grit, focusing on long-duration energy storage. It was all sealed during the Global Energy...

Samuel Oschin Center Opens, Promising Wonder

By Evelyn Baker Updated Nov 13, 2026 Category News Views 192

A Grand New Space for Space Well, here's a sight for sore eyes—California Science Center's Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center just swung its doors open wide, and boy, it's a beast of a place. Housing a spectacle like the Space Shuttle Endeavour in a vertical launch position, it's as if they've reached up and snagged a piece of the sky itself for their exhibits. They're...

YSTUDIO's Pens: A Nod to the Power of Writing

Slow Down, Write On: A New Era for Stationery In a world where sentiments zip around with a swipe, here we find YSTUDIO tapping into something analog and profound. Their latest offerings—a 'Brand Day Gift Box' and the 'Inner Universe' pen series—are more than just high-end stationery. They’re an invitation to reconnect with the written word, a gesture to slow our...

WeaveGrid Powers EVConnectNC: Charging Incentives Launched

Transforming Utilities with EVConnectNC In a fresh move by WeaveGrid, North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives have teamed up to roll out EVConnectNC. This innovative program aims to manage the burgeoning demand for electric vehicle (EV) charging in rural and suburban areas under North Carolina's cooperative umbrella. Think of it as a smart way to handle new loads without...

PASCAL's Holiday Gift Edit: Timeless Watches Shine

Fresh Sparkle for the Holidays Well, here we are again, staring down the barrel of another holiday season. And what do you know, PASCAL is out with its 2026 Holiday Gift Edit, like clockwork. This is the kind of stuff they’re good at—capturing a moment, slapping some color on it, and calling it a game-changer. Launching on November 14, this edit nods to their Timeless...