‘Weaponized free speech’: How the American press came to fear dissent

Published February 21, 2025 2:00pm ET



The first weeks of the Trump administration may seem like an odd moment for CBS News to launch its crusade against free speech — after all, why would liberal journalists want to give President Donald Trump more control over what people are allowed to say?

A closer study of the media’s behavior — and of Europe’s crackdown on dissent — helps it all make sense.

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