Before joining the journalism faculty at CU Boulder’s College of Communication, Media, Design and Information, Vicky Sama covered news from New York, Washington, Atlanta and around the world as an international journalist with CNN.

You can imagine how she felt when journalists—including those from her former network—were barred from the White House.

“We saw this in Donald Trump’s previous administration, but not to this extent,” said Sama (MJour’02), who teaches media law and ethics at CMDI. “Almost every president has acknowledged at times they didn’t like what journalists reported. But they handled it differently.”

Vicky Sama

A First Amendment expert, Sama expected the court to reject the government’s ban on White House reporters; on Tuesday, the judge presiding over the case ordered Trump’s administration to restore credentials for CNN, MS Now and Politico.

“We see this pattern with President Trump—when he’s unhappy with journalism he disagrees with, he reacts quickly and emotionally, and then his lawyers have to backtrack and reframe the conversation,” Sama said.

“And that’s what we saw here. Trump’s original outbursts were critical of what the journalists were reporting—he complained about their coverage, he called them ‘liars’ and ‘fake news.’ The White House seems to understand that’s an unconstitutional argument, so they’re now saying in the court filing that the reason for the ban is the conduct of the reporters. That’s an entirely different argument.”

Sama also pointed out the flaws in Trump’s national security argument—one he’s used to justify his ballroom project and proposed Triumphal Arch. After Trump’s initial complaints about coverage, the White House said the banned outlets published classified information related to, among other topics, the Iran war and dwindling munition stockpiles.

It’s a common argument, she said, “but in multiple Supreme Court cases, justices have ruled the government has the burden to prove a restriction on the free press is necessary to protect national security before it can violate the press’ First Amendment rights. And here, you can see Trump tell them you’re fake news and you’re liars, which would seem to invalidate the national security argument.”

Bringing the Constitution to class

In her classes, Sama leans into critical thinking and media literacy, asking students to picture an information economy entirely subject to the whims of a monarch and pushing them to bring a less-trusting perspective to social media—a challenge for a generation that grew up alongside digital platforms.

“People in power no longer have to go through journalists, and be edited, be vetted, be verified. They can bring their message directly to the public on social media,” she said. “Trump is not the first president to do this, but he realizes its power to construct his truth, control the message and hide from the public anything he doesn't want them to know. And you can’t do that when you’re surrounded by reporters who ask the tough questions.”

If one of the goals of Trump’s sustained attack on the press is to dissuade people from studying and entering the profession, he might be in for a surprise at a place like CMDI, with both its journalism department and a healthy collection of student press outlets.

Avery Clifton, a junior majoring in journalism with a minor in political science, said even as a student reporter, she’s afraid an honest mistake could cause her to be deplatformed before her career truly begins. But it’s inspired her to continue chasing her dream of one day covering politics.

“There are definitely times I’m afraid, but there are other times where I feel empowered—that the work I’m doing really matters, and is deeply meaningful to society,” said Clifton, editor-in-chief of the student-run CU Independent and an editorial intern with Denver Life Magazine.

‘Things may not always be what they seem’

Avery Clifton

In the Independent’s editorial offices, Clifton said she challenges her fellow journalists to be critical thinkers and truth seekers, even as press freedoms remain under attack.

“My journalism experiences have helped me grow as a person,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot about myself and the world by putting myself in different places, seeing how things really are and challenging my own assumptions—and understanding that things may not always be what they seem.”

That attitude is what Sama hopes to cultivate in all her students.

“How can we prepare students for journalism careers at a time like this? This is the preparation—going through what’s happening in our world and what we’re seeing in the White House,” she said.

“I want my students to hone their critical thinking skills in my classes—to be able to recognize the difference between propaganda, opinion, fact, truth and lies—so they can ask the hard questions, verify information and hold the power to account. A free press may be our most important freedom—and we may find if it’s gone, we didn’t really know what we had.”

Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.