As frequent as in the dystopian society revealed by George Orwell and his novel 1984, the United States today has witnessed great challenges to speech and media.
In moves that echo Big Brother and the Party, CBS News and Stations President Wendy McMahon was recently forced out due to pressures from Paramount executives in efforts to settle lawsuits filed by the Trump administration. President Trump has filed a $20 billion lawsuit, accusing “60 Minutes” of editing an interview with Kamala Harris. Despite the lawsuit being baseless, the controlling shareholder of Paramount, CBS’s parent company, wants to settle.
Adding to the troubling pattern of oppression, Executive Producer of “60 Minutes” Bill Owens stepped down last month in response to pressures from the Trump administration, specifically due to the program’s coverage of the government. In early May, “60 Minutes” aired a segment of lawyers criticizing the President’s executive orders, which had been wrongfully targeting law firms.
Trump claims that “CBS is out of control” and that they should be stripped of their broadcast license for their “fraudulent” reporting. However, if that is the basis of his case, his “fraudulent” tax avoidance schemes should prohibit him from serving as president. But, they don’t.
That’s the disheartening part. Many of the assumptions that Trump and his supporters swear by peddle in hypocrisy and take part in his systematic dismantling of the truth. The administration continues to publicly denounce all immigrants as criminals, painting them as threats to the American way of life. And yet, the irony is staggering: Donald Trump himself is a convicted felon.
“It’s frustrating because he expects everyone else to play by the rules, but he thinks he’s above them,” Sophomore Savine Nguyen said. “There are so many actual issues going on in the country, and instead of focusing on that, he’s throwing a tantrum over media coverage. It is very childish.”
CBS insiders and much of the staff are concerned for the future of the newsroom and the direction of the network going forward. There has been a recent influx of ABC News executives into CBS network leadership positions, prompting fear that “the new executives want to turn CBS into a poor man’s version of ABC,” as remarked by one network insider– especially since the majority are former ABC News executives who were fired.
For a man who brands networks as lawless while being found guilty of falsifying business records and evading taxes, acts that have much more substance than his foolish accusations against CBS, it’s clear that Trump intends political theater designed to distract from his own misconduct.
“Trump sets double standards and doesn’t hold himself accountable at all,” Nguyen said. “He constantly calls out other people for stuff he does himself, and when he messes up, he either blames someone else or acts like it didn’t happen.”
Clearly, Trump’s behavior emboldens white nationalist narratives while dismissing real socioeconomic causes of crime and inequality. Trump’s America is one where double standards thrive and ignorance is strength, a phrase well-known to the Orwellian dystopia from 1984. That dystopia feels closer than ever as the administration continues to linger behind closed doors and infringe upon free press without real legal merit.
“His actions are foreshadowing a fascist regime,” said Sophomore Claire Jang. “I don’t know how people can support this.”
It’s concerning that this is not the first change to press and news administered by the President: previously, the White House shut out AP reporters from both the Oval Office and Air Force One simply because a reporter used the Gulf of Mexico’s rightful name. Pressuring media networks into submission is a clear indication of the erosion of democratic norms and cautions against the dangers that will proceed as news outlets can no longer report freely and accurately.
“People should know that this isn’t just about one lawsuit or one dumb moment, he has a pattern,” Nguyen said. “Trump has a long history of ignoring responsibility and making everything about himself. It shows the kind of leader he is and how embarrassing it is for America to have a child as our president.”
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