Trump’s demands against the press are about power, not winning

In his current battle with the press, President Donald Trump has perfected a legal strategy that is less to win and more about intimidation. His constant demands, often legally weak, against news organizations seem designed to exert pressure instead of prevailing in the courts.

As a media reporter for a long time Paul Faring explained in the last episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast”, Trump’s goal is simple: to exhaust, intimidate and force writing rooms to expensive settlements, all while sending a message that critical coverage has a price.

A continuous example: Trump’s dispute with the use of Associated Press on the use of the “Gulf of Mexico” of the cable service instead of Trump’s “Gulf of America”.

“It’s not about the word itself,” Farhi said. “It’s about annoying the press, show who is the boss and push around the ‘Lamestream’ media, as he likes to call him.”

While the dispute may seem trivial, Farhi said that pursuing a neutral and influential institution such as the AP establishes a dangerous precedent.

“If you can overcome the AP, what prevents you from doing the same with the New York Times, NBC or others?” Farhi asked.

The Trump approach exploits weaknesses in the media world, where even the deepest points of sale must weigh the financial and reputation of prolonged legal fights.

“There is a real cost to defend against frivolous demands, and Trump knows it,” Farhi said. “Even if a lawsuit laughs outside the court, forces a news organization to spend time and money. That is enough to have a chilling effect. “

And although Trump’s legal threats are mainly aimed at the main institutions, smaller writing rooms and independent journalists, who are less equipped for expensive litigation, get into a difficult place and can think twice before publishing critical stories .

Meanwhile, solving these demands, as some points of sale have chosen to do, can establish a dangerous precedent.

“If a news organization is established, it tells Trump, and others, that this tactic works,” said Tom Jones, a writer of Poynter’s media and presenter of the podcast. “It encourages more demands and makes it difficult for the press to do its job without fear of legal harassment.”

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The Poynter Report podcast is produced by the Department of Journalism and Digital Communication at the University of Southern Florida, St. Petersburg