Petition: Media Must Expose Trump’s Information Crackdown

Donald Trump’s latest effort to tighten control over federal workers and leak investigations is not just about classified material—it risks choking off the flow of unclassified information that helps the public understand how government actually operates. Broad crackdowns on internal communications, combined with aggressive investigations and intimidation tactics, can create a culture of fear where whistleblowers, civil servants, and sources stop speaking out altogether.

Yet too much media coverage frames these actions as routine national security measures or anti-leak enforcement rather than confronting their broader implications. When administrations aggressively target leaks without distinguishing between classified secrets and disclosures in the public interest, the result can be less transparency, weaker oversight, and fewer opportunities for journalists to uncover wrongdoing or abuse of power.

We call on major news organizations to cover this crackdown clearly and aggressively as an attempt to restrict the flow of information to the public—examining its chilling effect on whistleblowers, government accountability, and investigative journalism. Democracy depends on the ability of reporters and sources to expose what those in power would rather keep hidden.