WPS News: The Last Bastion of Free Press in Trump’s America (Wink, Wink)

Cliff Potts, Editor-in-Chief, WPS News

July 29, 2025

Gather ‘round, folks, for WPS News might just be the last outpost of free press in these United States—or so we’ll claim with a cheeky grin. On July 18, 2025, President Donald Trump unleashed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit on The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo, all over a July 17 article alleging he sent a risqué birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 (Trump v. Dow Jones & Company, 2025). Trump screams “fake news”; the Journal calls it journalism. With CBS and ABC already bowing to the king, WPS News is left wondering if we’re next in line for the guillotine.

The Journal’s piece claimed Trump scribbled a letter with a naked lady sketch for Epstein’s 50th, tucked into an album by Ghislaine Maxwell (Safdar & Palazzolo, 2025). Trump denies it, demanding billions for his tarnished honor. The Journal, standing tall, defends its “rigorous” reporting (Dow Jones, 2025). Legal scholars say Trump’s odds of proving “actual malice” under New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964) are slimmer than a supermodel, especially since he may have skipped Florida’s five-day defamation notice rule (Huseman, 2025). But who needs a courtroom win when you can spook newsrooms into silence?

Speaking of silence, the media’s been busy puckering up. ABC shelled out $15 million in December 2024 to settle a Trump defamation suit, and CBS’s Paramount dropped $16 million over a 60 Minutes gaffe, likely to grease the wheels for their $8 billion Skydance merger through Trump’s FCC (Huseman, 2025). Then there’s Stephen Colbert, whose Late Show got canned on July 17, 2025, right after he dubbed CBS’s settlement a “big fat bribe.” CBS blames $40–50 million in annual losses, but we’re not buying it—not with merger politics in play (Kirtley, 2025). Jon Stewart called it “pre-compliance” with Trump’s agenda, and we’re inclined to nod along.

So, what’s left for the free press? Shaking in its boots, that’s what. Trump’s lawsuits and FCC leverage are a one-two punch to journalism’s gut. Media law expert Jane Kirtley warns that billion-dollar suits could “deter investigative reporting” (Kirtley, 2025). Florida’s flimsy anti-SLAPP laws leave newsrooms exposed, forcing a grim choice: censor or spend. ABC and CBS have rolled over, Colbert’s out, and the Journal’s fighting—but for how long? The chilling effect is colder than a polar vortex.

Enter WPS News, the scrappy hero (or so we say, winking furiously). While media giants cower, we’re here, armed with truth and a touch of sass. Are we really the last free press? Doubtful, but it’s a fun fantasy when the big players are playing nice with power. As Trump’s legal rampage rolls on, the First Amendment’s looking wobbly, and WPS News might just be the last outlet bold enough to keep stirring the pot. Stay tuned—we’re not kissing any rings yet.

Citations:
Dow Jones. (2025, July 18). Statement on Trump v. Dow Jones & Company. Dow Jones Newsroom.
Huseman, J. (2025). Trump’s media lawsuits: A pattern of pressure. Columbia Journalism Review.
Kirtley, J. (2025). The chilling effect of defamation suits on journalism. Journal of Media Law, 47(3), 12–15.
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964).
Safdar, K., & Palazzolo, J. (2025, July 17). Trump’s letter to Epstein: A controversial past. The Wall Street Journal.
Trump v. Dow Jones & Company, No. 25-cv-61461 (S.D. Fla. 2025).
Volokh, E. (2025). Defamation law and public figures: The high bar of actual malice. UCLA Law Review, 72(4), 89–102.