Mary Bruce Serene

State College

Recently, Donald Trump posted a graphic celebrating how he is “reshaping the media.” The graphic itself proudly lists journalists pushed out of their jobs, layoffs at major outlets, regulatory pressure, and the defunding of public broadcasters as political “wins.”

Think about what that means.

A president openly boasting about weakening news organizations that scrutinize him. A president openly bragging about violating the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech. This should concern Americans of every political persuasion.

This isn’t simply criticism of the press. Democracies have always had vigorous debate about media bias. What’s different here is celebrating the use of political power to pressure the information system itself.

History offers a warning about where that road leads. Around the world, leaders seeking fewer checks on their authority often follow a familiar sequence: attack the credibility of independent media, pressure regulators to discipline broadcasters, encourage friendly ownership of major outlets and frame all criticism as “distortion” or “hoaxes.”

Recent developments in the United States echo pieces of that pattern. In a recent social media post, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned broadcasters that coverage he considers misleading (what he called “fake news”) could be an issue when their licenses come up for renewal.

At a moment like this, keeping strong, independent, public media alive, including WPSU here in central and northern Pennsylvania, has never been more important. Show your support for WPSU by donating today.

A free press exists to question power.

Democracy depends on it.