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freedom of the press

Thursday 22nd of October 2026

Bad news I have a running war with the media. They are among the most dishonest human beings on earth. They sort of made it sound like I had a feud with the intelligence community. citation Donald Trump, who has made hundreds of recorded and reported statements criticizing America's intelligence agencies, including comparing them to Nazis © 2017 Kwiple.com
Bad news One of the things I'm goin to do if I win … I'm going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. Donald Trump © 2016 Kwiple.com
Fascists say It is frankly disgusting the press is able to write whatever it wants to write. Donald Trump,  complaining about fact-checked reporting, especially about himself  © 2017 Kwiple.com
Fascists say The media has zero integrity, zero intelligence, and no hard work.  Steve Bannon © 2017 Kwiple.com
Fascists say The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while. I want you to quote this: The media here is the opposition party. Steve Bannon, in an interview with the New York Times © 2017 Kwiple.com
Fascists say  Not one network person has been let go. Not one political analyst and pundit who talked smack all day long about Donald Trump has been let go. Kellyanne Conway, a.k.a. “Propaganda Barbie,” lamenting that critics of Trump haven't been fired yet © 2017 Kwiple.com
Freedom of the press A free press does not have to be repressed when it can be rendered irrelevant and even exploited for political gain. Christopher R. Browning, “The Suffocation of Democracy” © 2018 Kwiple.com
Freedom of the press Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one. H. L. Mencken © 2024 Kwiple.com
Freedom of the press Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one. A. J. Liebling, The New Yorker, May 14, 1960 © 2021 Kwiple.com
Freedom of the press I strongly hope that Donald Trump sues The New York Times for publishing his tax returns, just as I strongly hope that in the two debates to come, Donald Trump once again attacks Rosie O'Donnell and utters more gibberish. Any such lawsuit – which in all likeli- hood would be shot down by the courts on First Amendment grounds – is likely to further unravel the candidacy of man who is, among other disqualifying flaws, an enemy of a free press. Gabriel Schoenfeld, a lawyer who sued the New York Times for publishing news about warrantless wiretapping © 2016 Kwiple.com
Freedom of the press If the prime role of a free press is to serve as critic of the government, cartooning is often the cutting edge of that criticism. Herb Block, a.k.a. Herblock, four-time Pulitizer Prize winner for editorial cartooning © 2023 Kwiple.com
Freedom of the press No government ought to be without censors: and where the press is free, no one ever will. Thomas Jefferson, letter to George Washington, September 9, 1792 © 2023 Kwiple.com
Freedom of the press To the press alone, chequered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression. James Madison © 2018 Kwiple.com
Freedom of the press When you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. I'm not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I'm just saying we need to learn the lessons of history. John McCain © 2018 Kwiple.com
Law and order It was the most beautiful thing. It's called law and order. Punchline to the tale Donald Trump tells attendees at his rallies about how Minneapolis police shot an MSNBC reporter covering protests of George Floyd's murder in the knee with a rubber bullet while fleeing marauding police, which tale invariably ignites Day-of-the-Locust-worthy cackling and blood lust © 2020 Kwiple.com
Right-wing populism Poland's ruling Law and Justice party lured Donald Trump to speak in Warsaw by promising him a rapturous rally, to which paid supporters were bussed in from provincial areas to chant “theives” and “traitors” at opposition party members and “Donald Trump!” and “USA!” throughout his speech praising Poland's support for Western values, and, at a press conference afterwards, joking about its supression of the press July 6, 2017 © 2017 Kwiple.com
Selfie I'm the guy who wanted them out of the building. Steve Bannon, taking responsibility for the proposal to remove the press briefing room from the White House © 2017 Kwiple.com
Snapshot With all due respect to the office you hold, Mr. President, the “enemy of the people” is not the press. It is you. Donald Trump portrayed by Marvin Kalb © 2018 Kwiple.com
Surely you jest  The president is an incredible advocate of the First Amendment. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, getting the “incredible” part right when asked about Trump's call for the Senate Intelligence Committee to look into what he calls “fake news” broadcast he claims by NBC and other “Fake News Networks” © 2017 Kwiple.com
Surveillance Today, journalists in dozens of countries broke the story that military-grade surveillance technology, initially believed to be used for criminals and terrorists, was weaponized against journalists, political rivals, activists and lawyers from around the world. The revelation of this misuse of Pegasus, a surveillance software licensed and sold by the Israeli spyware firm NSO Group, has stirred outrage and calls for the spyware to be better regulated by global governments. Maddowblog, July 19, 2021 [Pegasus is “zero click” spyware]  © 2021 Kwiple.com
 
Trumpism The worst fate of the press in a second Trump term would be neither legal jeopardy nor financial ruin. It would be irrelevance. --> George Packer, The Atlantic, January/February 2024 © 2024 Kwiple.com
Trumpists say Have we ever seen a President attack and malign the free press like Joe Biden has?? Jim Banks, 6:17 PM – Jan 24,2022, Republican Representative from Indiana, diverting attention from years of Trump calling journalists “enemies of the people” by calling out Biden for being overhead on a hot mic calling Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, to whom he later apologized, a “stupid son of a bitch,” which reminded people of John McCain's on the air response to a question from Doocy: “Why would you say something that stupid? Why would you ask something that dumb? Huh?” © 2022 Kwiple.com
Trumpists say The news media in the West pose a far greater danger to Western civilization than Russia does. Dennis Prager, 10:55 AM – 14 Jul 2017 © 2019 Kwiple.com
Trumpists say Shut up! Shut up! Virginia Foxx, one of Mike Johnson's supporters surrounding him during a press conference  following his election as Speaker of the House, shouting at the reporter who asked him about his deep involvement in attempts to overturn the election and Trump's attempted coup, which he refused to answer and to which the others chanted "Boo! Boo!" in unison  © 2023 Kwiple.com
Wannabe autocrats say I do it to discredit you all, and demean you all, so that when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you. Donald Trump, answering Lesley Stahl, who asked him why he kept attacking the press © 2018 Kwiple.com
 
Wannabe autocrats say They spend a couple of days in jail, make a new friend, and they are ready to talk. Donald Trump on findiing leakers by jailing journalists, as quoted in James Comey's 2/14/17 memo © 2018 Kwiple.com