Although much of the recent focus regarding the press being under siege has been on President Trump’s Federal Communications Commission, FCC commissioner Anna M. Gomez cited “an administration-wide effort” involving multiple agencies intended “to chill speech” and stifle dissenting voices.
Gomez, who will soon be the only Democrat on the commission, made those remarks during a Free Speech forum at Cal State Los Angeles on Wednesday, presented as a “First Amendment tour” by Gomez designed to shine a light on the issue and discuss means and methods to combat those policies.
The event was sponsored by the advocacy group Free Press, whose co-CEO, Jessica J. González, described Trump’s “attacks” on free expression and the press as “A clear effort to quash dissent.” She cited the event’s goal as beginning to organize on behalf of protecting speech and “raising our voices together.”
With the FCC under Trump’s handpicked chairman Brendan Carr, Gomez has few avenues to formally push back against the Republican majority. Because of that, she said, it’s incumbent upon her to publicly push back against what she called a “campaign of censorship and control” carried out in part through “sham investigations against broadcasters because of their editorial decisions.”
Noting that Trump had previously fired Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission, Gomez conceded that she doesn’t know why she’s still in her position, before adding that any attempt to remove her before her term expires would be illegal. Explaining her goal, she said, “If I get fired, it isn’t because I didn’t do my job, it’s because I insisted on doing it.”
Gomez referenced Trump’s lawsuit against “60 Minutes,” and the pressure brought to bear against its corporate parent Paramount Global, as an example of the work being done against journalists to “tone down their criticisms” of the administration.
“Freedom of the press requires journalists that are able to do their jobs without inference from their corporate parents,” she said.
Carr has stated that the review process of the Paramount-Skydance merger is unrelated to Trump’s lawsuit, but critics maintain that the commission is transparently acting on his behalf, creating leverage to prompt Paramount to seek to settle a case that experts have called frivolous.
The panel also included Dr. Safiya U. Noble, MacArthur Fellow and UCLA professor, who pointed to more subtle effects of the FCC’s attempts to punish companies for pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion policies “directly suppressing” the work of women of color.
“I think the new threats are old threats,” Noble said, comparing current government actions to the Vietnam era, while calling the “coordinated effort” to undermine public institutions “a cornerstone of this administration.”
“Journalists must realize that this situation is not normal, and doing nothing is not an option,” said Gabriel Lerner, editor emeritus of La Opinión, who maintained that the “bed of lies” upon which Trump operates is “not compatible” with press freedom.
In terms of practical impact, Alejandra Santamaria, president and CEO of Southern California Public Radio (a.k.a. LAst), also addressed the administration’s assault on public broadcasting and the uncertainty that has created in terms of funding and planning going forward, saying her station has already been forced to make “tough decisions” in terms of staffing.
After a listening session with those who attended, which included journalists and an employee of Voice of America, Gomez closed by saying the administration is motivated in part by fear of criticism, which makes protecting the independent press even more vital.
Congressman Raul Ruiz said the free press is currently engaged in a fight for its survival, and applauded Gomez for “her courage in taking this First Amendment tour,” citing the frequency of threats made against public officials.
The event marked Gomez’s first outside of Washington. In addition to those who attended in person, the forum was also live streamed.