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30th Mar 2017

Donald Trump has launched his most clearcut attack on press freedom yet

Alan Loughnane

This would be huge…

Donald Trump has hinted that he could make changes to the libel laws in the United States following negative press coverage of his presidency; he has put the focus on the New York Times in particular.

In a tweet on Thursday afternoon, the US President said: “The failing has disgraced the media world. Gotten me wrong for two solid years. Change libel laws?”

In the story he tweeted, writer John Crudele said he had cancelled his subscription to the New York Times because the publication was “ethically challenged in its coverage of the presidential election.”

He also criticised a front page story the New York Times had run in January regarding wiretapping – this was before Trump had made serious and unproven claims that Barack Obama had wiretapped his successor.

Trump has often lashed out at the paper in the past, routinely calling them the “failing New York Times” and claiming they were biased towards him during both his presidential campaign and presidency.

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