Connecting the Dots: Trump’s Tightening Grip on Press Freedom

A free press is a pillar of democracy, just as state-controlled media is a hallmark of autocracy. That is why monitoring actions that stifle the freedom of the press is a time-tested means of tracking the health of a democratic system. As journalists themselves scramble to keep up with the firehose of executive orders that President Donald Trump has issued since returning to power on Jan. 20, infringements on press freedom in the United States are reported piecemeal, making it hard to grasp the full extent of the threat now in play.