While the Trump administration eliminates Voice of America, a new book examines another longer-term

attack on the press here in the U.S. William Brangham has the latest in our series on democracy.

William?

That's right, Jeff. After the First Amendment to the Constitution, one of the foundational legal protections for the free press

is the precedent set by a case called Times v. Sullivan.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1964 that journalistic organizations were protected from libel or defamation

lawsuits brought by a public figure unless that plaintiff could prove the journalists had acted

intentionally with what is known as, quote, actual malice

or with, quote, an intentional disregard for the truth. My guest's new book documents a well-funded

ongoing effort to undo that longstanding protection. It is called Murder the Truth, Fear,

the First Amendment, and a secret campaign to protect the powerful.

Its author is New York Times investigative journalist David Enrich.

Welcome to The News Hour.

Thanks for having me.

This is an incredibly well-timed book.

I mean, President Trump, obviously you started it before you knew he would be president,

but he has long said that the press protections in this country are far too strict and should be changed.

But you have said that the genesis of this book was an experience that you and your colleagues at the investigative unit,

the Times, what you went through when you would do stories. Explain that.

It seemed that basically every time we were starting to report on a powerful person or a powerful

institution, we were on the receiving end of threatening letters from that person's lawyers.

And, you know, the New York Times has resources and very good lawyers. And so we're kind of equipped to

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