Robert Reich

Why has the media become so vulnerable to Trump, and what can we do about it?
Even after Disney's reversal on Jimmy Kimmel, the vulnerability remains — unless we change the rules.





Friends,

Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airwaves just two weeks and two days ago (although in Trump time, it seems far longer).

Disney’s decision to allow Kimmel back on was a victory for freedom of the press and a setback for Trump’s authoritarianism.

Nonetheless, today’s media ecosystem is far more vulnerable to authoritarianism than it was decades ago.

Today I want to explore three structural changes in our political economy that have made it so, and suggest what must be done to strengthen media independence.

1. Media concentration has facilitated censorship.

After Paramount’s CBS settled Trump’s frivolous $16 million lawsuit against them and canceled Stephen Colbert, much to Trump’s delight, the FCC swiftly approved Paramount’s merger with Skydance.

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