Published on, Sept. 24 -- September 24, 2025 10:01 AM

The free press in danger signals a wider threat to democracy in the United States. Veteran journalist Martin Baron warns that press freedom, once secure under the First Amendment, is now fragile. He recalls the Pentagon Papers and Watergate as moments that showed the power of journalism, but says such confidence no longer exists.

He argues that today's leadership undermines institutions, weakens legal safeguards, and treats the press as an enemy. A servile Congress and a supportive Supreme Court have added to this decline. Baron stresses that when facts are denied, democracy itself begins to crumble, leaving the press more vulnerable than ever before.

Moreover, he highlights how aut...