From the Military to the Media, the Silencing Machine Is in Overdrive
Ben Cable (Orignally Posted on Substack Oct 14, 2025)
Trump’s War on Truth underscores a disturbing trend that threatens the core tenets of democracy, particularly free speech and freedom of the press. The Trump administration’s approach to regulating discourse has blurred the lines between legitimate expression and government-sanctioned narratives, raising questions about the integrity of information shared with the public. As independent platforms like Substack emerge, they offer a refuge for unfiltered voices, emphasizing the critical need for an unwavering commitment to truth in a landscape increasingly dominated by partisan interests. Upholding these principles is essential to safeguarding the essence of democracy itself.
THE BATTLEFIELD IS SPEECH ITSELF
The Trump Administration has gone nuclear on dissent. Across the country, the instruments of state — the military, the courts, and the press apparatus — are being repurposed as weapons to muzzle criticism and control the narrative.
This is not the America the founders imagined. It’s an information gulag with a flag wrapped around it.
MILITARY MUSCLE MEETS MEDIA CONTROL
In October, the Pentagon rolled out new “media access rules” requiring journalists to sign loyalty-style pledges or lose access to briefings and bases. Outlets across the spectrum — AP, Reuters, CNN, Fox, The New York Times — refused to comply.
According to the Associated Press, “the restrictions are incompatible with the First Amendment.”
Even Obama weighed in, warning that Trump’s troop deployments and press restrictions are designed “to weaken how we have understood democracy.”
Meanwhile, Trump ordered lethal naval strikes near Venezuela, bypassing Congress and calling it a “non-international conflict.” The message is clear: if the law stands in his way, he’ll rewrite the definition of war.
THE PENTAGON’S GAG ORDER, A DIRECT STRIKE ON PRESS FREEDOM
Behind the jargon of “updated media protocols” lies one of the most dangerous government attacks on press freedom in modern history. The Pentagon’s new media policy, quietly unveiled this month, requires reporters to pre-clear questions, submit quotes for approval, and even allow the Defense Department to retroactively edit transcripts before publication.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, the policy effectively hands the military editorial control over independent reporting – an unprecedented breach of press autonomy. Poynter Institute experts called it “a blueprint for information control in wartime – against our own citizens.”
In short: the Pentagon has declared itself editor-in-chief of the American press.
It’s censorship in uniform.
COURTS AS CUDGELS
Trump’s favorite new sport? Lawfare.
The Associated Press has been banned from the White House for refusing to call the “Gulf of Mexico” the “Gulf of America.” The AP is now suing the administration in Associated Press v. Budowich, claiming unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.
At the same time, Executive Order 14290 yanks all federal funding from NPR and PBS, labeling them “propaganda.” The ACLU calls it “a direct attack on independent journalism.”
And when he’s not defunding critics, Trump is suing them into silence – from defamation suits against The Wall Street Journal to “security-based” subpoenas targeting whistleblowers. Each lawsuit is a bullet in a legal war on free expression.
MEDIA UNDER FIRE
It’s not just newsrooms, it’s comedy, science, academia, and even language itself.
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended after criticizing Trump, following FCC threats that ABC could lose its broadcast license.
- Federal agencies were ordered to scrub “LGBT,” “gender,” and “climate” from official websites.
- Researchers report pressure to delay or bury inconvenient findings.
- Truth Social, Trump’s own platform, quietly bans users who mention January 6 or criticize the administration, the ultimate irony for a “free speech” network.
Trump’s “Restoring Freedom of Speech” executive order (EO 14149) was meant to end censorship. Instead, it legalized government-approved speech. Reporters Without Borders says it best: “Trump’s vision of free speech protects power, not truth.”
“He’s built a censorship machine so slick, it doesn’t even need a censor, fear does the job.”
– A former NPR correspondent
DEMOCRACY ON TENTERHOOKS
The pattern is unmistakable:
- Militarize protests.
- Gag the press.
- Sue the critics.
- Control the narrative.
It’s the autocrat’s playbook rewritten for American soil. The First Amendment is bleeding out under executive boots.
Yet, resistance lives.
- Reporters are refusing to sign the Pentagon’s gag orders.
- NPR, PBS, and the AP are fighting back in court.
- Lawmakers like Rep. Jason Crow have introduced new legislation to protect journalists and block politically motivated prosecutions.
This is the frontline of freedom. The moment we stop defending it, it’s gone.
WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
- Speak out: Share independent journalism and never self-censor.
- Support the press: Subscribe to real news outlets under siege.
- Hold power accountable: Call your representatives, demand hearings on media retaliation.
- Stay loud: Democracy only dies when the noise stops.
- Join a Protest near you such as No Kings Saturday, October 18th.
“They can deploy the troops, gag the press, or weaponize the courts, but they can’t silence all of us.”
– Citizen Ben
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