Broadcasters’ group president: Trump threats against networks undermine ‘basic press freedom’

The president of the leading trade group representing broadcast journalists is blasting former President Trump over his continued threats against some of the nation’s largest news networks.

Curtis LeGeyt, president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, suggested Tuesday in a statement to The Hill that Trump’s repeated attacks on networks such as CBS, ABC and NBC could have a chilling effect on independent journalism.

“From our country’s beginning, the right of the press to challenge the government, root out corruption and speak freely without fear of recrimination has been central to our democracy,” LeGeyt wrote in the statement. “Times may have changed, but that principle – enshrined in the First Amendment — has not.”

“The threat from any politician to revoke a broadcast license simply because they disagree with the station’s content undermines this basic freedom,” he wrote.

Trump has in recent weeks threatened to investigate or bring lawsuits against a number of broadcast networks over their coverage of him and the 2024 presidential race.

His campaign is relentlessly pressuring CBS News to release a full transcript of a recent interview it aired with Vice President Harris, which he is claiming was edited to cast her in a favorable light.

The former president also railed against ABC over how the network’s moderators handled a debate between the two candidates last month, suggesting the network have its broadcasting license pulled.

Trump has also attacked Comcast Corp., the parent company of NBC News and MSNBC, over coverage of him he has said amounts to “treason.”

Last week, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a similar statement pushing back on Trump’s suggestions that broadcast networks be punished over coverage of him.

“The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said.

A CNN analysis published this week found Trump has threatened news and cable networks more than a dozen times in recent weeks as he has campaigned for president, stoking concerns he could seek retribution against journalists that are critical of him if he is elected in November.