Corporate Media Is Capitulating to Trump

As the fourth estate falls, here's what we must do to stay informed and empowered

If you’re still wondering why authoritarianism keeps advancing in America, look no further than the corporate media industrial complex, which remains more interested in appeasing power than holding it accountable. The press was supposed to be the Fourth Estate. Instead, too many of our legacy outlets have become little more than luxury PR firms for fascism, laundering propaganda through an illusion of objectivity.

Let me break it down with three deeply disturbing examples from just this week—each of which reveals just how far the so-called “free press” has fallen in its desperate bid to avoid Trump’s wrath (or worse, curry his favor). Let’s Address This.

Screen Grab: David Pakman Show

1. The Hill’s Hit Job on Kamala Harris: A Preemptive Strike Against Truth

Right before the 2024 election, The Hill ran an article with the headline: "Kamala’s newest lie: Trump will send the army after you." Written by a right-wing Heritage Foundation operative with zero disclosure of his political affiliations or dark money backers, the piece labeled then-Vice President Harris a liar for warning that Trump might use the military on American citizens.

And now? That "lie" is manifesting in real time. Trump is, quite literally, deploying the military to enforce illegal ICE raids and quash peaceful protests. Where is The Hill’s correction? Where is the retraction? Where is the accountability?

Nowhere. Because the lie wasn’t Harris’—it was theirs. And their silence now is complicity.

2. Paramount Signals Capitulation in Court—While Trump Cries "Mental Anguish"

In another grotesque display of spinelessness, Donald Trump has filed a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS and its parent company, Paramount Global, because he believes CBS edited a “60 Minutes” interview in a way that caused him "mental anguish" and hurt his reputation as a “content creator.” Yes, really. The President of the United States is apparently hurt that his chances as TikTok stardom have diminished.

CBS denies wrongdoing—and yet Paramount is reportedly negotiating a settlement with Trump anyway. Why? Because Trump’s administration has regulatory authority over Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance Media. So now, one of the largest news organizations in the country is literally bending to a fascist’s demands to get a merger approved.

CBS News President Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” EP Bill Owens—two of the few reportedly pushing back—have resigned. Corporate media is folding to autocracy not because they believe him, but because they’re afraid of him. This is billionaires in media capitulating to a billionaire President so the billionaire media corporation can expand its monopoly. Utterly reckless.

3. An Australian Journalist Shot While Reporting—And the AP Whitewashes It

The Associated Press, that old bastion of journalistic neutrality, ran a story with the benign headline: “Australian reporter hit by nonlethal round during live report from LA immigration protests.”

Notwithstanding that rubber bullets can, in fact, be fatal, take note of what they left out: That rubber bullet was fired by Trump-aligned paramilitary forces during peaceful protests against his anti-immigrant raids. You can literally see the police officer aim and fire at her—yet the headline attempts to whitewash it anyway. The reporter wasn’t in a war zone—she was in downtown LA. And the people firing on her weren’t rogue actors. They were part of Trump’s own militarized crackdown.

But the AP’s version might as well have come from a tourism board press release. Passive voice. No mention of perpetrators. No context. Just another day in the land of euphemisms and erasure. Copaganda at its finest.

Let’s Call This What It Is

This isn’t journalism. It’s a soft coup—enabled by editors who prefer access over accountability, and by boards more interested in mergers than morals.

From The Hill smearing truth-tellers, to Paramount entertaining the fantasies of a fascist plaintiff, to the AP sanitizing state violence—the pattern is unmistakable: corporate media keeps bending the knee to Trump, even as he grinds democracy underfoot.

Meanwhile, we’re the ones paying the price, because truth-telling requires risk. Cowardice is not a neutral act—it is a betrayal. And we don’t have the luxury of neutrality in the face of fascism. We must invest in independent media and fund local, people-powered journalism. We must hold media corporations accountable—not just for what they report, but for what they refuse to. So how do we fight back?

How Do We Address These Problems?

1. Support Independent Writing

When I launched Let’s Address This, it wasn’t just to report on injustice—it was to confront it and build a community to stand against it. Over 450 pieces later, we’ve reached more than 25 million readers and more than 100,000 podcast downloads. That reach exists because of you. Because you’ve chosen to invest in truth over profit.

If you’re a subscriber—thank you. If you’re not yet—join us. Because while we will never enact a paywall, every share, every read, and every subscription is a blow against the systems that profit off our ignorance.

2. Invest in Ground News—Right Now

If you care about getting the critical context missing from your typical newsfeeds—and I know you do—you need Ground News. I use it every day to write these articles. It’s not just a news app and website—it’s a weapon against propaganda.

Here’s why Ground News matters:

✅ Bias Detection – See immediately where every outlet leans: left, center, or right. No more hidden agendas. No more smoke and mirrors.
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✅ Global Comparison – Get a 360° view. See how the same story is reported in the U.S., the Middle East, and Europe. Build factual conclusions. Don’t let corporate America build them for you.

So my ask of you is this: As you navigate media inaccuracies, funding secrecy, and national bias, do so with tools that stop letting other people's agendas control how you think: subscribe to Ground News for 40% off—just $5/month. The below link directly supports my work—and most importantly, it arms you with the ability to verify your sources in an era of relentless disinformation.

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Conclusion

We are not helpless. We still have the power to decide what voices we amplify, what stories we believe, and what values we uphold. We can resist—with knowledge, with community, and with conviction. That’s why I show up every day to write—because truth still matters. This is why I partner with Ground News.

Freedom doesn’t just suddenly disappear—it’s chipped away every time we stay silent in the face of injustice. Let’s ensure we don’t become the generation that looked away.