December 16, 2024 — The Society of Environmental Journalists is concerned that the incoming administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump may seek retribution against media outlets that have carried news or opinions at odds with his views or policies.
In particular, Kash Patel, Trump’s current pick for director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has promised to take legal action against journalists. In a 2023 podcast with Trump ally Steve Bannon, Patel said: “Yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We’re going to come after you, whether it’s criminally or civilly — we’ll figure that out.”
With that comment, Patel indicated he would go after journalists simply for reporting the truth: that Trump lost the 2020 election.
President-elect Trump himself has used similar rhetoric calling for political opponents, critics and members of the news media to be prosecuted, locked up, deported or otherwise punished.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution clearly protects journalists and news outlets against this kind of assault. “Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press,” it reads in part.
Free and independent media offer people the information they need to cast informed votes, act in their own and the public’s best interests and hold government officials accountable. With the First Amendment as a bulwark, journalists in the United States have been free to report on controversial issues and question elected officials without fear of government reprisal.
The oath that Trump and his Cabinet must swear to take office requires them to uphold the Constitution — all of it, including the First Amendment. Toward that end, SEJ calls on them to pledge never to prosecute, punish, deport, jail or harass journalists solely for what they report.
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