‘Revenge tour’ US media braces for Trump return

AFP :

US media are bracing for the White House return of Donald Trump, who previously helped to boost news consumption but is now prompting outlets to protect themselves from retaliation — legal or otherwise — from the famously grudge-bearing Republican.
News organizations are girding themselves for a legal assault from Trump personally, as well as federal agencies that could theoretically frustrate broadcast licenses, comb through tax affairs and otherwise make life difficult for organizations that do not toe the line.
New York University journalism professor Adam Penenberg told AFP that US news outlets, who normally compete in a fierce market, would have to cooperate to face down the threat posed by Trump.
“Trump’s second term promises to be less reality show and more revenge tour, especially for the press,” he said.
“The question isn’t whether he’ll attack the media. He will. But can the media resist bending under the weight of those attacks?”
Early moves indicated that some US media were taking an initially conciliatory approach to Trump this term, with major broadcaster ABC opting to settle a defamation suit brought by the billionaire rather than fight it.
With an increasing number of US consumers getting their news from social media, Meta’s billionaire owner Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of Facebook’s US fact-checking program, which had previously drawn Trump’s ire.
The Washington Post, owned by tech mogul Jeff Bezos, declined to endorse a candidate for president, and in recent days spiked a cartoon critical of tycoons currying favor with the Republican.
“The news media can prepare by reinforcing legal defenses, building coalitions between outlets, and fortifying cybersecurity to guard against hacks and leaks,” said Penenberg.
The New York Times has repeatedly drawn rebukes from Trump over its persistent, attention-grabbing reporting of his political, personal, financial and legal problems.
It warned that smaller news organizations may be unable to stand up to legal threats from Trump.
“For smaller, less financially secure news organizations, the expense of defending themselves in lawsuits from Mr Trump and his allies may be enough to encourage self-censorship,” it said in a grave editorial.