Report: Trump Threatens to Sue Media Outlets Over 'False Statements'

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • An attorney for US Pres.-elect Donald Trump reportedly sent a legal letter to the New York Times (and Penguin Random House) just days before the election, requesting $10B in damages over 'false and defamatory statements' in multiple articles.[1][2]
  • According to the Columbia Journalism Review, the letter described the Times as 'a full-throated mouthpiece of the Democratic Party' and accused four journalists — Peter Baker, Michael S. Schmidt, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner — of spreading lies about Trump.[3][4]
  • The report published on Thursday further claimed that the Times responded to the letter on Oct. 31 saying it continues to back its reporting, and referring the lawyer to Penguin Random House for claims against Craig and Buettner's book titled 'Lucky Loser.'[1]
  • This comes as Trump has escalated his long-standing animosity toward some mainstream media outlets, which he referred to as 'the enemy camp' in his victory speech after last week's presidential election.[3][4][5]
  • A lawsuit was also filed on Trump's behalf against CBS on Oct. 31 demanding $10B in damages over an interview with Kamala Harris on 60 Minutes, with the Washington Post and the Daily Beast also targeted in complaints from the Trump camp.[1]
  • In the run-up to Election Day, Fox News reported that a study from the Media Research Center found that coverage of the presidential race on ABC, CBS, and NBC was the most 'lopsided' ever.[6]

Sources: [1]Columbia Journalism Review, [2]Advanced Television, [3]Guardian, [4]One America, [5]PublishersWeekly.com and [6]FOX News.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by AlterNet. Trump previously said he would be a dictator from day one in office, and this legal warfare against news outlets and reporters reveals that he really wants to make good on that campaign threat. These lawsuits aren't about winning billions of dollars in damages, but about burdening journalists and their employees to undermine press freedom.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by Kyle Becker on X. Legacy media spent years attacking the former president and now president-elect with false and defamatory statements, so it's only natural that Trump and his camp have decided to file lawsuits against news outlets and reporters. This isn't an attack on press freedom, but rather a pursuit of media accountability.

Predictions