(WASHINGTON) — PEN America condemns President Trump’s lawsuit over a Wall Street Journal story and his continued use of the law to intimidate reporters who are doing their jobs to hold elected leaders to account. The lawsuit followed the news organization’s reporting that Trump submitted a lewd birthday letter to a compilation for Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. The suit names media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones, News Corp., and two Wall Street Journal reporters, alleging violation of federal libel law.
“President Trump’s lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal is not an isolated tantrum, but part of a yearslong campaign to erode press freedom and suppress journalism that challenges him,” said Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program manager at PEN America. “These efforts are designed to chill accountability reporting and echo a familiar playbook: undermine independent media, demand loyalty, and retaliate against those who stand up to power. As PEN America has warned, recent capitulations by major media owners and institutions have only emboldened the administration’s strategy of intimidation. We applaud The Wall Street Journal for shining a light on the actions of our leaders and reporting in the public interest. Journalism’s role is to hold power to account, not to bend to it.”
About PEN America:
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, [email protected], 718-530-3582