Skip to content
Navigating a New Political Landscape: View real-time updates about the impact of and Northeastern's response to recent political changes.
Apply
Stories

Disinformation experts blast Trump’s executive order on government censorship as “direct assault on reality”

People in this story

Trump sitting to sign an executive order in Washington D.C.

CNN, January 2025

One of President Donald Trump’s first actions as he returned to the Oval Office on Monday was signing an executive order aimed at “restoring freedom of speech and ending federal censorship” of US citizens. The order bans federal officials from any conduct that “would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen” and instructs the attorney general to investigate if the Biden administration engaged in efforts to censor Americans. “Under the guise of combatting ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,’ and ‘malinformation,’ the Federal Government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States in a manner that advanced the Government’s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate,” the order states.

Right-wing media figures and some Republicans in Congress have for years decried what they claim are efforts by Democrats and technology platforms to censor their speech online, especially around the Covid-19 pandemic and elections. The Supreme Court ruled last year the US government can contact social media companies about mis- and disinformation swirling on their platforms, handing the Biden administration a major victory. While conservatives viewed Trump’s order as the fulfillment of his promise to end government collusion with Big Tech platforms to censor their voices, some disinformation experts warned the move will only further the spread of false information on social media, which can become dangerous in times of crises.

Continue reading at CNN.com.

More Stories

Chicago skyline

Chicago Housing Development Shrinks Itself by 80% in Face of Trump Tariffs

02.12.2025
NYC mayor Eric Adams steps out of vehicle.

Why Dropping Eric Adams’ Case Is “Dangerous”

02.12.2025
Heart-shaped box of chocolates

How a Victorian-era marketing ploy made chocolate the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift

02.14.25
All Stories