Last year, press freedoms in the U.S. were put to the test. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth imposed new rules on the Pentagon press corps that required his approval to publish certain information, resulting in the exodus of many traditional newsrooms from the Pentagon.
ICE has been documented physically attacking a number of journalists throughout the country, and the Associated Press was banned from the White House press room in February. Some allies of President Trump have a major stake in the new U.S.-owned portion of TikTok, and CBS’ new corporate owner has worked to appease conservatives. In January, a Washington Post reporter nicknamed “the federal government whisperer” had her home searched by the FBI.
Plus, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provided some funding to public media across the country, is officially shutting down. PBS North Carolina anticipated a $4 million annual loss in 2026 after cuts to the agency last year, and NPR affiliates WUNC in Chapel Hill and WFAE itself projected approximately $800,000 losses in annual budgets.
As journalism is tested across the nation, we speak with press freedom experts to recount the damage and what to expect in North Carolina and beyond in 2026.
GUESTS
Aida Alami, James Madison Visiting Professor on First Amendment issues at the Columbia School of Journalism
Philip Napoli, professor of public policy and director of DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy at Duke University
Trevor Timm, co-founder and executive director of Freedom of the Press Foundation
