Recent episodes involving major U.S. news organizations have fueled fears that media outlets are preemptively self-censoring, which could offend former President Donald Trump, who remains neck and neck in the polls with Vice President Kamala Harris before Election Day.

“One of the biggest media stories in the United States right now is people who run major media companies coming to terms with a second Trump presidency and thinking about how to avoid upsetting him,” Ben Smith, editor-in-chief and co-founder of the news site Semafor, tells NPR.

Los Angeles Times editor resigns after owner blocks Harris endorsement

Max Tani of Semafor was the first to announce that the owner of the Los Angeles TimesPatrick Soon-Shiong, intervened to block publication from an editorial endorsing Harris. The Trump campaign quickly shared the Semafor story with supporters.

THE Los Angeles Times’ editorials editor-in-chief Mariel Garza resignedsaying Soon-Shiong’s decision made the newspaper look “cowardly and hypocritical.” The newspaper has previously endorsed Harris, a Californian who lives in Los Angeles, for public office; the newspaper’s editorial pages have routinely condemned Trump’s character, policies and record.

Last month, supporting national and local candidatesTHE Los Angeles Times The editorial page said voters would face “the most important election in a generation” – although, it added, it was “not just about the presidential race.”

Publishers and owners of course have the right to influence mentions, and they often do.. This time, Soon-Shiong said he wanted something different.

On the social media platform

“The editorial board had the opportunity to write a fact-based analysis of every POSITIVE AND NEGATE policy of EACH candidate during his or her tenure in the White House, and how those policies affected the nation,” wrote Soon Shiong. “Furthermore, the Board was asked to provide its understanding of the policies and plans outlined by the candidates during this campaign and their potential effects on the nation over the next four years.”

Semafor editor-in-chief Smith noted that Soon-Shiong, like many media owners, has other business interests that may be directly affected by government actions. As a doctor and medical inventor, Soon-Shiong has medical knowledge products subject to review by the United States Food and Drug Administration and also applies for patents to federal regulators.

“If you have a lot of exposure to heavily regulated industries, I would be very surprised if that’s something that media executives don’t think about,” Smith says.

Additionally, according to Stat News, which covers science, healthcare and medicine, Soon-Shiong unsuccessfully sought a management position overseeing health care in the United States at the start of the Trump administration in 2017.

THE Los Angeles Times did not respond to requests for comment beyond Soon-Shiong’s statement.

NBC concerned about Trump documentary

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly threatened to pull the broadcast licenses of three major television networks – ABC, CBS and NBC – in retaliation for moderators who fact-checked him and his running mate JD Vance during the debates and for media coverage that Trump considers unfair.

That’s not how such federal regulation works: The Federal Communications Commission licenses local television and radio stations. But the three broadcast networks own 80 local TV stations among them, making those licenses a pressure point.

As CNN first reported, CBS News has resisted Trump’s threats of legal action to force the publication of his full, unpublished interview with Harris.

Colin Young-Wolff/Colin Young-Wolff/Invision/AP

/

Vision

“For the past decade, Donald Trump has waged a campaign against the media straight out of the model authoritarians have used around the world, which involves threatening news organizations with retaliation if they don’t provide him with coverage. sufficiently favorable. says Ian Bassin, lawyer and founder of the nonprofit advocacy group Protect Democracy. “We are now seeing the seeds of this campaign bear fruit. »

Three journalists from left-leaning MSNBC told NPR that their colleagues were concerned that an NBC News Studios-produced documentary on the effects of Trump’s policies on migrant families separated at the U.S. southern border would not be broadcast before the beginning of December, one month after election day. (Staff members requested anonymity in order to discuss internal network matters.)

MSNBC star Rachel Maddow has been among the film’s biggest promoters internally. It is based on the reporting of NBC and MSNBC correspondent Jacob Soboroff and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Errol Morris. Morris publicly questioned the network’s decision.

“Why isn’t my movie on NBC before the election?” Morris tweeted earlier this month. “This is not a partisan film. This is a policy that was disgusting and should not be repeated. Make your own deductions.

NBC News executives rejected the idea that political considerations played a role in the film’s scheduling decision. MSNBC screened another film, called “From Russia with Lev,” about allegations against Trump by ally-turned-critic Lev Parnas. Top MSNBC hosts have called Trump a “fascist” multiple times in recent days, based on caustic characterizations from several of them. Former Trump aides.

In a statement, NBC News said it was proud of Soboroff’s film, noting that it is based on reports previously broadcast on NBC and MSNBC.

“We are fortunate that, even in this difficult climate for documentary, we have been able to achieve significant visibility at several prestigious film festivals and expanded theatrical release, qualifying it for major awards, including the Academy Awards, ahead of his television debut soon,” he says. Soboroff has appeared frequently on the network to speak on related topics.

Lingering uncertainty over Washington Post endorsement

The Washington Post Investigative journalists have been at the forefront of exposing wrongdoing by Trump and his associates while in office. Its editorial section, managed separately, strongly criticized the former president.

Yet, less than two weeks before election day, the JobStaff in the paper’s opinion section are unsure whether the paper will publish editorial support for the president, according to two people at the paper. Job with knowledge. (They requested anonymity to discuss internal matters at the newspaper.)

Last time The post office did not support the presidency in the 1988 general election, according to a review of records. THE Job supported candidates for local office.

Job Owner Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon and space company Blue Origin, both of which have contracts with the federal government. Under the Trump administration, the Pentagon had to cancel a $10 billion cloud computing contract with Microsoft after Amazon filed a complaint alleging that it was ignored to punish Bezos for the Job‘s report.

Trump publicly declared that he had personally reviewed the contract, which Amazon was previously supposed to win. Ultimately, four companies, including Amazon and Microsoft, were awarded part of the contract.

Bezos’ new CEO and publisher at Job is Will Lewis, who has conservative bona fides. Lewis held the same role at Rupert Murdoch The Wall Street Journal; was editor of the London newspaper Telegraphwhich is closely allied with the Conservative Party; and was a consultant to the Conservative Boris Johnson when he was Prime Minister. Colleagues told NPR that Bezos chose Lewis in part for his ability to get along with powerful conservative political figures, including Murdoch.

Corporate spokespersons Washington Post did not respond to requests for comment.

“The points of sale of Los Angeles Times maybe even Washington Post engage in what historian Timothy Snyder has called anticipated obedience – retreating from their obligation to tell the truth in order to appease the tyrant so he doesn’t come after them,” says Bassin of Protect Democracy.

Copyright 2024 NPR