Sulzberger Calls Trump Most Hostile to Press, Cites AI Theft in $1 Billion News Crisis
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Sep 20
Sulzberger Calls Trump Most Hostile to Press, Cites AI Theft in $1 Billion News Crisis
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Sep 20
Summary
A.G. Sulzberger said no modern U.S. president has been more hostile to the free press than Donald Trump, contrasting him with past presidents who also clashed with the New York Times.
Trump’s attacks come as journalism faces a second threat from AI, Sulzberger wrote, arguing tech companies are repurposing costly news reporting at unprecedented scale after the collapse of the ad-based news model.
Thursday court filings in the Times’ lawsuit against OpenAI added evidence to that claim, showing Microsoft engineers privately worried the company was stealing articles from publishers.
The White House rejected Sulzberger’s criticism, saying Trump is highly transparent, answers reporters’ questions nearly daily and gives the press unusual access.
Sulzberger said the combined pressure from political hostility and AI-driven appropriation has left the future of a free press increasingly uncertain.