{"id":2199,"date":"2020-12-14T20:40:22","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T20:40:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=139270"},"modified":"2020-12-14T20:40:22","modified_gmt":"2020-12-14T20:40:22","slug":"how-the-biden-administration-can-help-rejuvenate-journalism-after-four-years-of-carnage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/12\/14\/how-the-biden-administration-can-help-rejuvenate-journalism-after-four-years-of-carnage\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Biden Administration Can Help Rejuvenate Journalism After Four Years of Carnage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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To say that the past four years have been rough on the news media would be a vast understatement. As President, Donald Trump has repeatedly slammed the press for publishing \u201cfake news,\u201d<\/a> chastised individual reporters for asking him tough questions<\/a>, repealed the press credentials of reporters<\/a> he doesn\u2019t like, and raged against the alleged biases<\/a> of Twitter and Facebook. The hostility towards the press promoted by Trump and other rightwing politicians no doubt contributed to the recent wave of physical attacks on and arrests of journalists by police during the mass protests over the murder of George Floyd. Even more serious, the economic downturn unleashed by the pandemic has led to thousands of newsroom layoffs and countless furloughs and layoffs at news organizations around the country. Now that Joe Biden is President-Elect and the tumultuous Trump era is finally coming to an (undignified) end, it is time to consider what a Biden-Harris administration could do to revitalize our news media and better protect the rights of journalists.<\/p>\n

The President and the Damage Done<\/strong><\/p>\n

In attacking the press, Trump did not confine himself to angry tongue-lashings at press briefings and nasty tweets. He and his administration took actions that endangered reporters\u2019 lives, adopted policies that undermined a free and open Internet, and sought to weaken online platforms\u2019 protections against libel suits.<\/p>\n

For instance, in May 2019, Trump\u2019s Justice Department charged WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange under the Espionage Act of 1917 for publicizing classified documents that detailed US wars crimes in Iraq. In June 2019, the Department of Justice began legal proceedings in the UK to extradite Assange<\/a> to the US for trial. If transported to the US, Assange would face trial for espionage and conspiracy, and the possibility of up to 175 years in jail. The UK judge intends to issue a verdict on the US extradition of in January. The impact of the administration\u2019s effort to extradite Assange from the UK will have a chilling effect on investigative journalism for years to come.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Trump bragged to reporter Bob Woodward that he prevented Congress from sanctioning Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman over the October 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi; \u201cI saved his ass… I was able to get Congress to leave him alone. I was able to get them to stop,\u201d Trump told Woodward<\/a>. Weeks after the murder, the White House released a remarkable statement exonerating the Saudi royal family of culpability<\/a> in Khashoggi\u2019s murder and shamelessly boasting about the millions in weapons sales Trump had negotiated with them.<\/p>\n

Trump has personally encouraged violence against reporters, praising Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte<\/a> for throwing a reporter to the ground and punching him after the reporter asked Gianforte a question about GOP healthcare policy.<\/p>\n

Shortly after taking office, Trump appointed former Verizon corporate counsel Ajit Pai as chair of the Federal Communication Commission. As chair of the FCC, Pai presided over the repeal of Obama-era \u201cnetwork neutrality\u201d rules<\/a> that prevent Internet Service Providers (like Verizon) from blocking, slowing or discriminating against any legal content moving across their networks.<\/p>\n

In July of 2020, Pai\u2019s FCC took steps to regulate<\/a> social media and Internet sites that moderate or flag misinformation posted by users. And now Trump is threatening to veto<\/a> the National Defense Authorization Act unless Congress rescinds Section 230 of the 1996 Communication Decency Act, a provision that shields social media platforms from liability for their users\u2019 posts. <\/p>\n

To make matters worse, the Trump administration has stood idly by while the current economic crisis has devastated the news outlets people depend on for vital information. Trump\u2019s refusal to push Senate Republicans to pass the HEROES Act<\/a> has denied local media outlets access to Payroll Protection Program loans that could\u2019ve saved countless newsroom jobs. And his 2021 budget proposal cuts funding for public broadcasting entirely, just when the need for funding is the greatest.<\/p>\n

What the Biden Administration Should Do to Make Things Better<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, what exactly should the Biden administration do to repair damage done during the Trump presidency to the press, freedom of expression, and working journalists?<\/p>\n

Project Censored\u2014a media watchdog organization that, for more than 40 years, has opposed censorship and advocated for the importance of unfettered journalism for democratic self-government\u2014has long supported stronger protections for journalist\u2019s rights and policies that strengthen an independent press. The Project\u2019s work provides a blueprint for what the Biden administration could do in its first year to address problems that Trump has either created or multiplied:<\/p>\n