Trump lawsuits seek to muzzle media, posing serious threat to free press

The president has sued multiple media companies. He may care less about winning in court than intimidating news outlets, suggest two media scholars.

By: Kathy Kiely, University of Missouri-Columbia and Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky, University of Florida, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 12, 2026

Words: 1,411

Last Updated: 2 months, 1 week ago

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By Kathy Kiely, University of Missouri-Columbia and Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky, University of Florida

In December 2025, President Donald Trump filed a US$10 billion lawsuit against the BBC in a federal court in Florida. It was only the latest in a long series of high-dollar legal challenges Trump has brought against prominent media organizations, including ABC, CBS, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

Trump has won some …

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