Journalists who've lived through freedom-of-the-press-hating dictators who have some words of warning for us here in Murica: with Trump in office, "prepare for the worst."
The Nieman Foundation at Harvard asked journalists from places like Hungary, the Philippines, and other spots where democracy's taken a few kicks to the teeth what they think about our current situation.
Remember when Trump sued CBS News for $10 billion because he was mad about how they edited a Kamala Harris interview? Or when he threatened to yank broadcast licenses from media outlets that hurt his feelings? Our international journalist friends say these are the early warning signs:
"American colleagues, prepare for the worst," writes Glenda Gloria, editor of Rappler, a news site in the Philippines whose staff endured years of personal attack and legal torment from the Rodrigo Duterte administration. "If it doesn't happen, you'll be happy to be proven wrong. If it happens, it could happen fast."
And when Trump's out there at rallies saying things like, "somebody would have to shoot through the fake news to get to me," journalists who've seen their colleagues actually get murdered think it's smart to take him at his word:
"Dear American colleagues, do not have any illusions," writes Bartosz Wieliński, deputy editor of Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza. "If an autocrat or dictator announces something, sooner or later they will act on it."
Of course, it's just a coincidence that Trump praises the leaders of these dictatorships.
Here are a few quotes from journalists around the world who generously provided sneak previews of what's in store for American news media:
"If the 14-year (and still counting) rule of Viktor Orbán can provide any guidance on what is waiting for independent journalsts under Donald Trump's second term, you can expect increasingly aggressive propaganda campaigns against you, attacks on your business operations, and maybe even some spying on you and your sources." — András Pethő, Hungary
"The Duterte regime did not only kill tens of thousands of Filipinos from 2016 to 2022, for which the ex-president is being investigated by the International Criminal Court. It also tried to kill newsrooms and succeeded in shutting down the country's biggest and most powerful broadcasting network, ABS-CBN. So, dear American colleagues, prepare for the worst." — Glenda M. Gloria, Philippines
"Journalists will be smeared, defamed, and harassed while often sued at the same time in corrupt or cowed courts. Hired mobs will beleaguer them at their offices and homes. Some accusations will be so insistently repeated from different sides that a number of people will end up believing them. Others will avoid meeting, or even being seen with, journalists, simply not to risk becoming a collateral target." — Gustavo Gorriti, Peru
"Before 2017, I practiced journalism in Ghana without fear. A new government then poisoned the media space with physical assault, arbitrary arrests, prosecutions, and murder. The perpetrators, mainly politicians and state security officials, went unpunished. I went into exile twice, drove with armed police escorts, and was compelled to take a break to preserve my mental health. And I was among the lucky journalists." — Manasseh Azure Awuni, Ghana
"Almost immediately upon taking power in 2007, President Rafael Correa and his so-called Citizen Revolution started to accuse journalists of being crooked, unpatriotic, and "ink hitmen." Ecuador's constitution was dismantled and a new one created, paving the way for a Communication Act with countless restrictions on our profession. We even had our own modern inquisitor, like in medieval times — the Superintendent of Communication — who could impose sanctions and fines without judicial oversight, a system similar to the regulations passed by Viktor Orbán's party in Hungary." — Mónica Almeida, Ecudaor
Previously:
• Oklahoma bill seeks to indoctrinate and permit journalists
