Martin Baron, the former executive editor for The Washington Post, said in a new interview that President-elect Trump’s team will do “everything” to undermine confidence in the press.
Baron offered the remarks as Trump won a big victory when ABC settled a lawsuit with him involving incorrect comments by anchor George Stephanopoulos.
Trump days later launched a new suit against The Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Seltzer.
Baron, a Pulitzer Prize winner who also served as editor of The Boston Globe, said more legal actions could follow.
“Well, they have a lot of tools in their toolbox, and I think they will use every single one of them. That’s already evident from the measures that they are promising to take. I think they are salivating for the opportunity to prosecute journalists for leaks of supposed national security information,” Baron told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, as highlighted by Mediaite.
“So they will do everything to undermine public confidence in the press, to further undermine public confidence in the press, and undermine its economic sustainability,” Baron later said.
The Hill has contacted Trump’s press team for comment.
Trump has a history of using litigation as a weapon against the media, and several press freedom advocates expressed concern to The Hill earlier this week that the ABC lawsuit could send the wrong message to any news organization that finds itself in Trump’s legal crosshairs.
Following his debate with Vice President Harris on ABC earlier this year, Trump lashed out at broadcast news networks, threatening to punish outlets that are not fair to him. Outgoing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Jessica Rosenworcel condemned the Republican leader for his threats.
“The FCC has no business threatening to take away broadcast licenses because the president does not like the content or coverage on a network,” Rosenworcel said on the “Politico Tech” podcast. “And that same First Amendment duty applies to what is out there online.”
