In the process, he's denting the longtime international view of the United States as the uncompromising champion of freedom of the press. "There no longer is any attempt by this administration to have the United States stand as a model for press freedom or to encourage press freedom abroad," says Alexandra Ellerbeck, a senior researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists. Concern over the issue is such that this month, a coalition of more than 20 press freedom organizations launched a Freedom Press Tracker to document anti-press abuses in the United States. Reporters Without Borders annually ranks the nations of the world according to their record for freedom of the press. During the campaign, Trump said he would like to "open up" libel laws but hasn't followed through, and libel law generally is a state matter.

Source: CNN August 27, 2017 12:11 UTC