Hi John,
Overnight, Donald Trump announced he was filing a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and some of its most respected reporters for stories suggesting that he built his fortune in part through fraud.
Here’s the truth: the point of the lawsuit isn’t about facts. It’s about fear and intimidation.
We’ll explain more in a moment. But with Trump’s ominous vow to go after “liberal” institutions — and his weaponization of the courts against the press — supporting fearless, independent journalism has never been more important.
Please, chip in $25 or more to Courier today »
Before this lawsuit against the Times, Trump was already using litigation as a weapon to bleed newsrooms dry, intimidate reporters, and scare institutions into “pre-compliance” and soft coverage.
And it’s working:
- ABC folded — paying $16 million to settle Trump’s defamation suit over George Stephanopoulos, even though legal experts said the claims were bogus.
- CBS caved — first settling Trump’s lawsuit over a Kamala Harris interview, then canceling Stephen Colbert’s show to smooth the path for Paramount’s merger approval.
- CNN buckled — forcing out Jim Acosta and instructing top anchors to tone down their Trump coverage.
- The Washington Post capitulated — after Jeff Bezos killed its 2024 endorsement of Kamala Harris and paid Melania Trump $40 million for a soft-focus documentary deal.
Now Trump and his allies are using Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination as a pretext to accelerate their broader crackdown on journalism and so-called “liberal institutions.”
Their goal is to scare every newsroom, every opposition group, every independent voice of accountability into silence — to make them ask, “Do we risk telling the truth?”
Courier never asks that question. We will never self-censor. We will never pre-comply. And we will never cave to authoritarian threats.
But we need your help to stand firm at a moment when free speech itself is under siege.
Chip in $25 today to help Courier fight back against Trump’s free speech war »
Thank you for your support. Together, we can: defend the truth, protect democracy, and make sure no community is left in the dark.
In solidarity,
The COURIER Team