Press freedom groups that blasted Trump turn fire on Dem governor over alleged media retaliation
A coalition of prominent press freedom organizations that have blasted President Donald Trump's treatment of journalists is now accusing Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Trump critic himself, of retaliating against news outlets scrutinizing his administration.
The accusations came in an Oct. 13 letter from the Freedom of the Press Foundation and six other journalism and civil liberties organizations. The groups raised concerns about the Moore administration's decision to subject even routine inquiries from reporters at Sinclair-affiliated news outlets and The Baltimore Sun to additional legal review.
The additional review came amid a defamation lawsuit filed against Moore by David Smith, executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group and majority owner of The Baltimore Sun. Maryland agencies have explicitly cited Smith's lawsuit in written responses to reporters, informing journalists at Sinclair-affiliated outlets that their inquiries would be referred to legal counsel before receiving a response.
Moore himself has previously criticized Trump's treatment of journalists. During a Sept. 20 appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," the Maryland governor condemned the president's decision to bar reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing Trump of treating the Constitution "like it is a suggestion box simply because he does not like the coverage."
"It's particularly offensive that Moore seeks to boost his national profile by slamming the Trump administration's unconstitutional attempts to ban disfavored media outlets from the White House when he's engaged in such similar antics himself," Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement accompanying the letter.
The press freedom groups that joined in condemning Moore, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, PEN America, Reporters Without Borders and the Society of Professional Journalists, argued that journalists should not face different treatment from government officials because of a dispute involving their outlets' ownership, drawing a comparison to the Trump administration's restrictions on certain White House reporters.
Moore's office strongly disputed the allegations in a statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, insisting that reporters have continued receiving responses from state agencies despite the additional legal scrutiny.
"The central premise of this letter is completely false. There is no blanket refusal to engage," Ammar Moussa, Moore's senior press secretary and director of media strategy, told Fox News Digital. "In the last week alone, state agencies and the Governor's Office have answered dozens of questions from Sinclair outlets, and we're happy to let them share those responses."
"David Smith chose to sue the Governor. Having our legal team look over inquiries is basic due diligence, not a blackout," Moussa continued. "A litigant doesn't get to dictate how the state protects itself, but that hasn't stopped our agencies from doing their jobs for the people of Maryland."
The dispute traces back to a defamation lawsuit Smith filed against the governor in July. Smith accused Moore of making false and damaging statements about him during a television interview, including remarks Smith interpreted as suggesting he had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Smith, whose media holdings include The Baltimore Sun, has been a frequent target of criticism from Moore, who has accused the newspaper's ownership of advancing a political agenda aligned with Trump. Smith maintains that the governor's remarks crossed the line from political criticism into defamation.
The lawsuit was filed by Smith personally, rather than the news organizations whose reporters have since faced additional legal review of their inquiries.
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"We urge you to instruct all Maryland agencies that Smith’s lawsuit against you is a personal matter and not an excuse to send media requests into a legal review black hole, and to cease any other unlawful retaliation against news outlets you personally dislike," the coalition letter stated.
"It is particularly jarring that, while government agencies under your watch stonewall reporters based on flimsy pretexts, you take to the airwaves to condemn the Trump administration’s unconstitutional ban of news outlets the president doesn’t like from the White House," the letter continued. "Yes, Trump frequently turns his personal grudges into censorial government policy, to the detriment of the public. But your own conduct appears not much different."