NY Times Publisher: Trump Threatens 'Free and Independent Press'

Despite being more accessible to the media than any president in modern times, Donald Trump threatens the role of a free and independent press in the U.S., according to the publisher of The New York Times.

A.G. Sulzberger, in a Times essay originally delivered as a speech at the University of Notre Dame on Tuesday, compared Trump to former Soviet Union leader Josef Stalin in saying the media is "the enemy of the people."

Sulzberger accused Trump of helping to institute an "anti-press campaign in this country" by employing a five-part playbook:

Sowing distrust in and encouraging the harassment of independent journalists and news organizations.
Exploiting the civil courts to punish independent reporters and news outlets.
Abusing legal and regulatory authority to punish the parts of the press that exercise independence.
Amplifying the government's attacks on the press by encouraging wealthy or powerful allies to join in.
Replacing the independent press with government-friendly media controlled by supporters.

Newsmax reached out to the White House for comment about Sulzberger's accusations.

"President Trump is leading the most transparent administration in history. He regularly takes questions from the media, communicates directly to the public, and signed an Executive Order to protect free speech on his first day back in office," White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly wrote in a statement to Newsmax.

The executive order mentioned by Kelly began explaining its purpose by saying, "The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, an amendment essential to the success of our Republic, enshrines the right of the American people to speak freely in the public square without Government interference."

According to Sulzberger, an independent press "plays a crucial role in our success as a nation," and "ensures the flow of trustworthy news and information the public needs," "fosters the mutual understanding that allows a diverse, divided nation to come together with common purpose," and "asks the tough questions and exposes the hidden truths that enable the public to hold powerful interests accountable."

Throughout his opinion piece, Sulzberger offered no indication that the Times or other mainstream media outlets may have been guilty of biased reporting, although he admitted news organizations "don't always get it right."

He commended Times reporters for exposing "how Trump and his family leveraged his office to benefit their cryptocurrency firm and other business ventures," but made no mention of former President Joe Biden and allegations of his influence peddling via foreign business dealings.

"We're not the resistance. We are nobody's opposition. We're also nobody's cheerleader. Our loyalty is to the truth and to a public that deserves to know it," Sulzberger said. "That is the distinct role that independent news organizations like The Times play in our democracy."

Sulzberger insisted the Times has treated Republican and Democrat administrations similarly, actually citing the coverage of Biden's age and fitness.

"I know this firsthand, because Times journalists reported deeply on these questions and called attention to his [Biden's] evasion of the press," Sulzberger wrote. "President Biden's White House and his supporters attacked them for it constantly."