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ASNE condemns Trump's attempt at press censorship
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 06/14/2016 14:30:13
- In: Freedom of the press
The American Society of News Editors stands against presidential candidate Donald Trump's attempts to censor news coverage of his campaign by denying access to outlets whose coverage does not correspond to his wishes, the latest being The Washington Post. Candidate Trump's move to sanction coverage of his drive to win the presidency is an unprecedented dismissal of the First Amendment freedoms essential to our democracy. The public is best served when a fearless, unfettered and independent press is present at all campaign events, speeches and political forums. We urge the Republican Party to return to its historical support for openness and transparency and call on both the party and its presumptive nominee to reverse course on these undemocratic sanctions and attempts at censorship. In the meantime, we encourage news outlets to ignore, reject and oppose all unconstitutional restrictions that any party, candidate or government official attempts to impose.