Media Suppression is a Hallmark of Authoritarian Regimes

andrew friedman
Jul 28, 2017 · 4 min read

As the phrase “fake media” and attacks on journalists have seemingly become part of our regular dialogue in the United States, I have become increasingly unsettled by the correlation between how we view and treat journalists in this country and the way journalists were persecuted by Nazi Germany. I know, using the term “Nazi Germany” is a hot-button issue, a red flag, a sign of exaggeration. Hear me out. Take the time to actually compare the facts. Trust me, it will make you profoundly uncomfortable.

Long before World War Two, the National Socialist German Workers Party, the political party of Adolph Hitler that we commonly call the Nazi Party, took significant steps to intimidate or overwhelm journalists who were in a position to challenge the Party’s activities. The Party used multiple forms of media (print, radio, and news reels were the primary outlets at the time) to instill fear any person or group that might be viewed as an enemy or outsider. This included not only Jews, but also Communists, intellectuals, and journalists. Through its aptly-named Propaganda Ministry, which took control of Germany’s professional press association, the Party inhibited the ability of journalists to report news or issue editorials that might harm or diminish the strength of the nation. The Party occasionally supported violence against journalists, and some perished in concentration camps.

Nazi party-controlled media outlets and independent organizations who aligned themselves with the Party published books, texts, films, magazines and newspapers designed to convey the beliefs of the Party. Filled with hyperbole, false stereotypes, and fear-mongering, these various forms of media were a forerunner of today’s unsupported attacks on political opponents of the conservative movement and/or pro-Trump entities.

The current administration clearly sees the strength and value of trying to control and manipulate the media. The fact that Steve Bannon is a key adviser and counselor to the President should trouble the public. Bannon has no prior policy experience. He has spent years as a film-maker and owner of a website built on ideologically extreme political commentary, and one of his key aides in his White House post is a former Breitbart editor. Indeed, the popularity of websites like Breitbart and Alex Jones’s Infowars, and the fact that their casual respect for facts and incitement of false fears does not deter our President from citing them in frequent Twitter missives, is an extremely dangerous development.

Few locations are more aware of the dangers of reckless dissemination of false stories than the District of Columbia, where Infowars’ spurious ‘pizzagate’ story led directly to a well-armed gunman taking over a local restaurant, Comet Ping Pong, to investigate a false child abuse scheme. Infowars may not have created the false story but certainly used it as regular content on its website to attack the character of Hillary Clinton and her staff. Jones ultimately apologized for pushing the false story, but only after “sheer luck” (according to the judge who sentenced the gunman) saved innocent patrons and workers from serious injury or death.

The existence of these websites and others does not trouble me, as they are just as protected by the First Amendment as any other speaker in the United States. The apparent reliance upon them by millions of Americans is chilling. It is one thing for the right-leaning National Review to take issue with liberal theory and beliefs, another entirely to falsely inflame fear and ignorance. Some of the sensationalistic websites our President embraces are not that far adrift from the propaganda apparatus of the National Socialist agenda in pre-World War Two Germany.

The President has repeatedly attacked ‘the media’ with which he disagrees, attempting to marginalize news as “fake news” and voicing a desire to weaken First Amendment protections for journalists. His White House has limited media access, blocked cameras from White House press briefings, and generally been so taciturn about answering basic questions the notion of transparency is becoming the exception rather than the rule. He has also embraced dubious stories from dubious sources, suggesting (for example) that Sen. Ted Cruz’s father played some role in the assassination of President Kennedy.

In many situations where President Trump stumbles over his own ill-considered, uninformed public statements, either he or members of his party freely attack ‘the mainstream media’ for mis-characterizing the facts. Today, Rep. Dave Brat (R — Va) blamed the media for covering the President’s repeated attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The reporting about Trump’s attacks on Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation are irrefutably accurate. Those attacks by the President reflect generous lack of respect for the office of the Attorney General and the legal principles that have (unlike our President) actually made this country great. Multiple elected officials have condemned the attacks. This is not media hype; this issue is important and newsworthy, and journalistic attention to issues like this is necessary to help protect the rule of law in this country. Yet intelligent public representatives feel emboldened to shift blame for the President’s untenable behavior and lack of maturity to the media.

Perhaps our President, a noted Russophile, would appreciate the role the media plays in Putin’s nation. Journalistic freedom in Russia is exceedingly limited, and nationalistic hysteria dominates virtually all news outlets. Independent media criticism is not merely absent in Russia; it is physically dangerous to criticize the government. I pray that never occurs here.

Let’s not rely on hopes and prayers, though. In the current environment, it will pay to be vigilant and to support the media’s right to shine a light on how our government operates. Failing to do so might be a lot more unhealthy for this country than anyone could have imagined not long ago.

andrew friedman

Written by

Litigator specializing in government enforcement, white collar criminal, and First Amendment. Shulman Rogers shareholder, avid hiker, devoted husband and dad.

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