Think about this, a former president bashes mainstream media, sues them for millions, and they just bend over and pay up! We were expecting a real fight of would we have even seen a  judge to disprove Trump's claims.  However,  this scenario has become a norm.   Recent settlements with Donald Trump have sparked worries about the current condition of press freedoms in the U. S.

        Americans once had a strong belief in the rights given to us by the Constitution. But recent shocking events make us wonder if those days are over.    We are a nation that has powerhouse media organizations.  Did you know that the Trump settlement money is going directly to Trump's presidential foundation and museums? !   If these powerful companies are no longer standing up for free speech, then who will?  Does the law even matter anymore?

        This trend started with ABC News, who in December 2023 agreed to shell out a whopping $15 million to Trump. Their sin? A mistake made by their star anchor, George Stephanopoulos.  Trump claimed that the anchor's comments were defamatory and sought compensation.  The issue here is, Trump would have had to prove the comments harmed his reputation  and at the time of the comment,  the jury had just found him liable for sexual abuse, so proving any harm to his reputation was tough. Unfortunately, ABC also agreed to pay an additional $1 million in legal fees.  We may never know if ABC's defense was genuinely weak, or if they simply gave in to Trump's demands.  But surely 16 million dollars including legal fees is not settlement but instead a submission.

        But that's not all. Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, also faced a legal battle with Trump.  Without  mentioning  the controversial claims,  Meta decided to settle the case and pay Trump $25 million.   Most media organizations knew that Trump lost the court case in 2022 for trying to remove his posts on social media.  It is  just strange then that Meta paid Trump millions of dollars just because he felt he was censored.

        We have to wonder.  Do these media giants lack the courage to stand up for free speech? If so, that is a worrying sign for the future of journalism.   It is not as if they have a weak legal case.  They have the First Amendment on their side.  Their first amendment right gives US media organizations robust protection against libel and slander cases.  So, if they want to make a difference, they need to start fighting back. No more covering their backs and submitting to these demands.

        Trump is a divisive figure, and his actions have sparked a lot of debate.  Sometimes, we have to face the fact that sometimes the law doesn't cover everything.

        This is not just about Trump.   We need to look at the bigger picture.  Press rights are being harmed and we need to be more concerned with it.   When can we expect to see media companies stand up for their rights?   It is important to stand up for ourselves.

        The scary thing is that freedom of speech is not just protected by law, but also by the people.

Big Tech and Media Giants Bowing to Trump

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