If you’re keeping up with U.S. politics, then it’s clear that the concept of a free press is looking a bit grim, and becoming grimmer by the day. One of the first warning signs was back in February when the power to decide who was in the press pool would shift from the White House Correspondents’ Association to the White House itself.
Whilst one could argue that this is a chance to mix up who is allowed to get first-hand knowledge, it also grants Trump the authority to control the narrative, only accepting journalists that he believes support him.
The attempted ban of the Associated Press is a prime example, as they have referred to the body of water below the U.S. and east of Mexico as the Gulf of Mexico, instead of what Trump has now deemed the Gulf of America in one of his first executive orders.
Concerns continue to rise as reporters with opposing views are targeted. For example, Aaron Parnas, an online journalist who aims to report accurate and timely news several times a day, is popular on TikTok with 3.6 million followers. He has recently caught the attention of MAGA republicans, who are calling for his prosecution by attorney Pam Bondi, for obstructing ongoing ICE investigations and raids.
Concerns continue to rise as reporters with opposing views are targeted.
While Parnas has posted knowledge of ICE raid locations, this information comes from posts by other accounts, details that Parnas notes in his posts. Despite freedom of the press still being in place, it seems that when you get a little too loud, danger lurks.
Furthermore, concerns spark as citizens with a large following and opposing views return across the border. On TikTok, Hasan Piker, a popular political streamer and commentator, shared his experience returning to the States at the Chicago O’Hare airport, in which he was detained and questioned.
As the agents interrogated him, it became clear that they were aware of him and his stances. Piker has Global Entry, yet he was thoroughly questioned for two hours, including his opinions on the Trump administration, topics which normally wouldn’t be discussed or required at Customs and Border Protection.
While both Parnas and Piker appear to be safe for the time being, both serve as eerie examples of what utilising your freedom of speech on a larger platform entails, and stirs concern for what’s to come.