Coordinated Action by 350 American Media Outlets in Response to Trump's Harsh Criticism

Following a call from the Boston Globe, over 350 American media outlets dedicated their editorials on Thursday, August 25, to countering attacks from Donald Trump, the President of the United States, against critical press. Trump has frequently labeled articles that criticize him or publish negative information as 'fake news' and referred to certain media as 'the enemy of the American people.' For instance, about two weeks ago during a trip to Pennsylvania, he called critical journalists his political opponents, stating, 'What has happened to the free press? What happened to honesty in reporting? They do not report these issues. They only write fake stories.' This prompted the Boston Globe to publish a recent editorial titled 'Journalists Are Not the Enemy,' stating that 'replacing a free press with state-controlled media is always the top priority for any corrupt regime looking to seize control of a country.' Meanwhile, the New York Times, like many other newspapers, dedicated its editorial on Wednesday to this issue, writing, 'Insisting that truths you do not like are 'fake news' threatens the vital artery of democracy; and calling journalists the enemy of the people is undoubtedly dangerous.' The editorial board of the Kansas City Star, which joined the Boston Globe's initiative, went further in its criticism, describing Trump's labeling of a group of media as 'enemies' as a 'strategic move' and comparing it to the strategies of dictators like Joseph Stalin to stigmatize critics. The Boston Globe expressed concern over this trend and cited a survey by Ipsos indicating that nearly half (48 percent) of Republican supporters back Trump's statement that 'the news media are the enemy of the American people.' Additionally, in June, a lone gunman shot and killed four journalists and a sales assistant at the Capital Gazette newspaper office in Maryland, and some media figures linked this act to the labeling of media as 'enemies.' However, the connection between these two issues has not been established. In August, Jim Acosta, a CNN reporter, tweeted evidence showing that Trump supporters angrily blamed him and engaged in insulting behavior towards him during a protest in Tampa, Florida. Acosta expressed concern that this trend could lead to 'harm' to journalists. Earlier this month, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokesperson, responded to a question about Trump's labeling of media as 'enemies' by stating that Trump has 'clearly stated his positions.' She added, 'The media continues its increasing assault on the President and all officials of this government, and certainly, we play a role in this process, but the media must also play a role in shaping discourse in this country.' Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump's daughter, recently stated in an interview that she does not agree with her father's views on the media.