The White House has dramatically intensified its long-running conflict with the American press corps by launching a dedicated section on its official website to publicly name and shame media organisations it accuses of peddling biased stories.
A New Front in the Media War
Unveiled on Friday, the controversial new feature prominently displays the words "Misleading. Biased. Exposed." at the top of the page. It specifically targets the Boston Globe, CBS News, and the Independent as its inaugural "media offenders of the week." The administration alleges these outlets inaccurately portrayed President Trump's remarks concerning a video released by six Democratic lawmakers.
The controversy stems from Trump's social media activity, where he accused Democrats of "seditious behavior, punishable by death" and reposted a statement containing the words "hang them." The White House site counters that "The Democrats and Fake News Media subversively implied that President Trump had issued illegal orders to service members. Every order President Trump has issued has been lawful."
The 'Hall of Shame' and Offender Leaderboard
Beyond the weekly offenders, the platform features a comprehensive "Offender Hall of Shame" that includes heavyweight news organisations like the Washington Post, CNN, and MSNBC. Visitors can browse a searchable database of articles and journalists, with each story categorised under labels such as "bias", "malpractice", or "left wing lunacy."
A current leaderboard ranks the Washington Post as the top offender, followed by MSNBC and CBS News. One cited Washington Post report claimed the US Coast Guard would stop classifying swastikas and nooses as hate symbols, a decision the Coast Guard reversed after the article's publication. The Post later acknowledged this reversal in follow-up coverage, with an internal spokesperson defending the paper's "accurate, rigorous journalism."
A Pattern of Escalating Hostility
This new digital initiative represents the latest salvo in President Trump's sustained campaign against mainstream media. It follows a pattern of legal action and public denigration, including lawsuits against the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, settlements with ABC and CBS, and his repeated characterisation of major news outlets as the "enemy of the people."
In recent weeks, this hostility has taken a personal turn, particularly towards female journalists. Earlier this month, Trump referred to a Bloomberg News correspondent as a "piggy" during an exchange aboard Air Force One. Days later, he labelled an ABC News correspondent a "terrible person" after being questioned about the Jamal Khashoggi murder and the Epstein scandal. Most recently, on Truth Social, he attacked a New York Times correspondent as "a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out."
The launch of this official platform signals a significant institutionalisation of the administration's critique, moving beyond presidential rhetoric to a formal, catalogued system for challenging media reporting.
