Trump Championing 'Free Press' While Jailing His Own Critics
Donald Trump, the man who called journalists “enemies of the people” and threatened to change libel laws to sue media outlets into non-existence, now positions himself as a global defender of press freedom. The Bloomberg article dutifully presents his vow to press Chinese President Xi Jinping on Jimmy Lai’s release. Lai, a vocal critic of Beijing, faces charges under Hong Kong's national security
law. A genuine concern for human rights, one might think, until recalling the former President's own administration frequently surveilled journalists and subpoenaed their phone records. (For example, the Justice Department under Trump secretly obtained phone records from four New York Times reporters in 2017). The irony is as thick as a Trump steak. It appears the definition of a 'free press'
depends entirely on whose narrative is being challenged. When American journalists critically examine the White House, they are 'fake news.' When a Hong Kong publisher critiques Beijing, he's a martyr. What a convenient, self-serving standard for journalistic integrity.