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Important End of Week Message

Censorship and attacks from those in power are ramping up, and it's reaching a boiling point one year into the Trump Administration.

Aaron Parnas Dec 6

Good evening, everyone, and Happy Friday. This week has brought a whirlwind of events, but beneath all the chaos, two developments in particular deserve our attention: the White House’s launch of a media bias tracker—and a public submission tool encouraging people to report journalists directly to the administration—and a noticeable escalation in content suppression on platforms like TikTok. In just the past week, several of my videos have been censored, including one today about Jeffrey Epstein. These actions, happening simultaneously across government and major tech platforms, signal a troubling shift for independent reporting.

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In the past week, the White House unveiled its new media bias tracker on the official government website. Alongside it, the administration launched a tool encouraging the public to submit journalists for review—effectively creating an official channel for naming and targeting members of the press. This marks a significant and unprecedented shift in how the executive branch positions itself toward journalists.

Meanwhile, social media platforms have been tightening control over content, especially material deemed politically sensitive or controversial. As I’ve experienced firsthand, posts can disappear without warning, be restricted in reach, or be flagged for vague policy violations. It’s happening fast, and it’s happening more often.

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the oldest press association in the country, responded forcefully. This week, the organization sent a letter to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt demanding the immediate removal of the media bias page.

“This practice raises serious press-freedom concerns, heightens the risk of harassment or harm to reporters and mirrors tactics used by authoritarian governments abroad,” SPJ stated. “It also undermines the respectful, accountable relationship that should exist between the nation’s highest office and the free press.”

While journalists should be held to high standards, the SPJ warned that government-run pages labeling reporters’ work as “lies,” “left-wing lunacy,” or “malpractice” cross a critical line.

“By publishing reporters’ names, outlets and specific stories, the White House is naming and shaming members of the press in a highly charged political and social environment,” the letter continues. Such actions, they argue, create a chilling effect and expose reporters to harassment, threats, and even potential violence.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a leading global advocate for press freedom, also condemned the administration’s move, calling it an intentional effort to undermine independent reporting in the United States.

“This latest move from the Trump administration should be a wakeup call to Americans that their tax dollars are being used to suppress, rather than encourage, freedom of speech,” said Katherine Jacobsen, CPJ’s U.S., Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator. “This type of behavior is more in line with an authoritarian regime and has no place in a democracy.”

We are at a pivotal moment. Misinformation and polarization already strain our information ecosystem, and when both government and tech platforms begin restricting or discrediting journalism, the consequences reach far beyond any single reporter or outlet. A free press is not just a democratic ideal—it is a safeguard for truth, transparency, and accountability.

The warning signs are here. The question now is whether we will recognize and respond to them before these pressures on the press become the new normal.

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