“Our media is not free. It’s the enemy of the people.” — Donald Trump, January 6, 2021

What happens when a U.S. president calls the press “the enemy”? In this powerful episode of The Journalism of Everything Podcast, host Darisse Smith investigates how Donald Trump’s sustained attacks on journalists have reshaped American democracy — and how history warns us of the dangers ahead.

From Trump’s early use of “fake news” in 2016 to his executive order cutting funding for NPR and PBS, this episode explores the chilling pattern of censorship, retaliation, and propaganda that has taken root in the United States.

You’ll hear from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Barry Siegel, chair of UC Irvine’s Literary Journalism Program, as he discusses what it truly means to “empower the powerless and oppress the powerful,” and why an independent press is the backbone of democracy.

Darisse also connects the modern assault on journalism to its historical roots — from Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” to the First Amendment’s founding vision — reminding us that free speech and a free press aren’t partisan luxuries. They are the essence of freedom itself.

“If you believe the media should be censored, you are not a patriot. You stand for authoritarianism.”

This is one of the most urgent and thought-provoking episodes yet — a deep dive into how truth, power, and journalism intersect in 2025.

Listen, share, and subscribe to support independent journalism.

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Substack.

#TheJournalismOfEverythingPodcast | #FreedomOfThePress | #DemocracyUnderTrump | #FakeNews | #BarrySiegel | #PulitzerPrize | #DarisseSmith | #IndependentMedia | #FirstAmendment | #Authoritarianism | #PressFreedom | #JournalismMatters | #MediaEthics | #ThomasPaine | #CommonSense | #TrumpAdministration | #Censorship | #NPR | #PBS | #TruthMatters #FirstAmendmentRights #FreedomofthePress

• (00:00:00) - Trump Declares the Media the Enemy
• (00:01:01) - The Origin of ‘Fake News’
• (00:04:30) - Trump’s First ‘Fake News’ Tweet
• (00:06:31) - Executive Order: Defunding NPR and PBS
• (00:08:32) - The AP Ban and the Collapse of Press Pool Access
• (00:10:33) - Pentagon Pledge: Signing Away Press Freedom
• (00:12:34) - Why a Free Press Matters
• (00:14:00) - What Happens Without a Free Press
• (00:15:01) - Guest Interview: Pulitzer Winner Barry Siegel
• (00:18:02) - Journalism Then vs. Now
• (00:32:03) - The Fragmented Narrative
• (00:40:04) - Global Context: Journalism in Democracies vs. Authoritarian States
• (00:42:05) - Can You Have Democracy Without a Free Press?
• (00:45:06) - Beyond Journalism: The War on Speech
• (00:48:07) - Can Journalism Still Be Balanced?
• (00:57:08) - Reflection: The Patriotism of Truth
• (01:00:00) - Reflection: The Patriotism of Truth
• (01:03:01) - Closing Thoughts: The Message Matters
• (01:05:02) - Outro: Subscribe and Stay Curious