To the editor: In discussing President Trump’s conflicts with the press, it could be extra related to match his actions, not with earlier presidents’, however with the techniques of these he admires resembling Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (“‘60 Minutes,’ the Related Press, an Iowa newspaper: Trump’s assaults on the media attain new heights,” March 4). There isn’t a free press in Russia or Turkey as a result of these leaders have adopted the dictator playbook of Josef Stalin and others. The place are we headed?
Judy Donais Hulme, Hermosa Seaside
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To the editor: It’s laughable that this text would state: “The information media, which prides itself on being People’ watchdog…” People haven’t relied on the information media for years. We have been lied to about Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, about Russian collusion and so many different topics. The information media was complicit in withholding the reality, and the general public is sick of it. Trump just isn’t attacking the media; he’s holding it accountable, and the media doesn’t prefer it.
Steve Tye, Diamond Bar
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To the editor: President Trump’s accusations in opposition to CNN and his denigration of journalists as “enemies of the folks” jogged my memory of what Yuval Noah Harari wrote in his 2024 guide, “Nexus”:
“The commonest methodology sturdy males use to undermine democracy is to assault self-correcting mechanisms, one after the other, usually starting with the courts and the media. The everyday sturdy man both deprives courts of their powers or packs them along with his loyalists and seeks to shut all unbiased media retailers whereas constructing his personal omnipresent propaganda machine.”
Trump not solely denounces numerous media retailers for what he calls “faux information,” he additionally always criticizes judges and challenges judicial oversight of the chief department. It’s certainly horrifying how fragile democracy is and the way simply it may be threatened.
Vivien Irving, Huntington Seaside
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To the editor: There’s nothing new with Trump’s assault technique on legacy (respectable) media. That is an age-old tactic of autocrats to kneecap any potential opposition to their energy and management. This was a favourite ploy of fascist leaders a century in the past.
Bob Teigan, Santa Susana
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To the editor: I’m begging information retailers to combat in opposition to the short-term ease of paying off the president slightly than standing up for the necessary obligation of reporting the information and saving our democracy from being cowed into submitting to threats from this administration. Take it to court docket. Freedom of the press is to be defended by the Structure! Please discover the obligation and backbone to combat again!
Rita Skinner, Riverside
