The Threat to the First Amendment -- What Government Control of the Press Does to Journalism and Democracy
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of government control over the press and its effects on journalism and democracy, highlighted by the seizure of reporter Hannah Natanson's materials by the FBI.
Send us Fan Mail Episode Summary Before dawn on January 14, 2026, FBI agents arrived at the Alexandria, Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson. They seized two laptops, her phone, an audio recorder, and an external hard drive containing her reporting materials. Her devices remained in government custody for weeks while courts fought over whether federal investigators could even look at them. Natanson covers the Trump administration’s transformation of the federal government...
Topics covered
- First Amendment
- government control
- press freedom
- journalism
- democracy
- Trump administration
More episodes of Surviving Trump. Saving America
- How the Ellisons Acquired CBS: The Deal that Gave Trump Control of the Message and the Ellisons a Media Empire
- Controlling the Press: Attacks on Media and How Project 2025 Is Dismantling America’s Communications
- WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING How the Administration Dismantled the Inspectors General — the Watchdogs Built to Hold Government Accountable
- Firing the Experts: How Schedule F and Project 2025 Are Replacing Government Career Staff with Political Loyalists
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Surviving Trump. Saving America podcast page.