Rizky Amelia
United States President Donald Trump has once again taken aim at the media, this time threatening to report NBC television journalist Kristen Welker to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for what he deems to be "inaccuracy" in her reporting. The move comes amidst a backdrop of ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the media, particularly regarding coverage of his endorsements and the 2020 presidential election.
Welker, who has a prominent role at NBC, hosting the weekly news program "Meet the Press," found herself in Trump's crosshairs after she described his endorsements of electoral candidates as having "mixed results" in the primaries leading up to the November elections. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump expressed his discontent with Welker's characterization, questioning the validity of her statement.
"“How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given public airwaves?” Trump wrote. He also shared a chart, which he claimed without attribution, showing that 98 percent of the candidates he endorsed had won their elections. "Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC," he declared.
This is not the first time Trump has clashed with Welker. In June, she conducted a one-on-one interview with Trump that turned heated as she pressed him on his claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The interview concluded with Trump pulling off his microphone and walking away, calling the network "crooked."
Trump's threats to use the FCC to target news outlets have been a recurring theme during his presidency. He has repeatedly accused various news networks, including ABC, CBS, CNN, and others, of being biased and "one-sided." His administration has also filed several multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuits against news outlets, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, over various issues.
This month, Disney, the owner of ABC News, sued the FCC, claiming political retaliation over an early license review of eight of its stations. Disney alleged that the FCC was seeking to intimidate the media industry, making it too fearful to report the news freely.
The Trump administration's efforts to pressure journalists into revealing their sources have also been a point of contention. This month, The New York Times revealed that FBI agents had shown up at the home of one of its reporters seeking cooperation for an investigation into a story about a secret US Navy SEALs mission in North Korea. The Justice Department also tried to subpoena three other journalists from the newspaper after they reported on security concerns with the president's new Air Force One jet.
News media freedom groups, such as the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, have criticized the Trump administration for targeting critical media. In its annual global press freedom rankings, Reporters Without Borders reported that the US had fallen to a "historic low," dropping from 57th in the world to 64th.
Welker's case is a stark reminder of the ongoing battle between the Trump administration and the media, as well as the broader implications for press freedom in the United States. As Trump continues to use his power to target journalists and news outlets, the future of media independence remains uncertain.
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