ICE keeps giving exclusive access to right-wing and right-leaning influencers
A handful of right-wing and right-leaning influencers have been given repeated access to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and ride-alongs, celebrating “riding with ICE in Chicago exposing the enemies within” and touting their “full access.”
The ride-alongs have come as Trump sends the National Guard into U.S. cities partially in response to protests against ICE. Right-wing media, who have generally seen increased access to the second Trump administration, have cheered the incursions.
A.J. Bauer, a University of Alabama professor who studies media activism, told NPR that the Trump administration is “working hand in glove” with right-wing influencers “in order to promote the government’s message” around the protests against ICE. Meanwhile, some local media outlets have reportedly not been granted the same access when they have asked for it.
Related Knowledge Center: Democracy and politics
News organizations are scrambling to find a coverage approach that adequately informs the American public about the country’s slide from democracy to authoritarian rule.
Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press
Whether it’s the Des Moines Register’s publication of an unfavorable election poll, a routine edit of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, or the Associated Press’s decision in its authoritative stylebook to continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” Donald Trump and the White House have used executive authority and legal reprisals in an effort to punish and suppress press coverage that runs contrary to the administration’s preferred narratives.
Democracy and politics | Signalgate | The CBS submission | Voiceless America
Related Knowledge Center: Information integrity
In an increasingly fractured media landscape, truth has been a casualty in the public discussion. Coverage has been warped by the business needs of struggling news organizations, and a significant segment of the public relies on bad-faith outlets that are little more than propagandists. While fact-checking has become routine, some organizations are exploring other ways to combat the trends. And misinformation spewed by AI-driven chatbots has become more of a feature than simply a bug.
Fact-checking and its detractors