New York Times Publishes Free Press Op-Ed Exposing Coordinated Trump Administration Campaign to Muzzle Media and Censor Dissent
WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the New York Times published an Op-Ed by Free Press Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights Nora Benavidez. In the Op-Ed, Benavidez addresses President Trump’s year of relentless attacks against First Amendment freedoms.
What is important is to recognize the patterns behind the administration’s non-stop campaign to stifle dissent, writes Benavidez. “Even the most egregious cases seem to quickly fade from public consciousness, and in that way, they’re clearly meant to overwhelm us and make us think twice about insisting on our constitutional rights.”
The Op-Ed builds off Benavidez’s report CHOKEHOLD: Donald Trump’s War on Free Speech & the Need for Systemic Resistance, which catalogues and analyzes hundreds of 2025 incidents in which Trump and his government enablers undermined and chilled the most basic freedoms protected under the First Amendment.
More information on the report is available here.
“Over the past year, individual and communal acts of resistance have blunted the potency of Mr. Trump’s censorship campaign and contributed to his declining approval ratings — unquestionably, more and more Americans are rejecting his overreach.” writes Benavidez. “Constitutional rights and democratic norms don’t disappear all at once; they erode slowly. The next three years of this presidency will require Americans to vigilantly defend free speech and open debate.”
To reach Benavidez for interviews, contact Timothy Karr at tkarr@freepress.net.
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