U.S. President Donald Trump looks on in the Oval Office on the day he signs an executive order, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
Alan Greenbatt, the editor of Governing magazine which covers state and local governments, has resigned because he refused to go along with increasing internal pro-Trump censorship pressures, he writes in Politico.
"My decision was a long time coming," he writes. "Earlier this year, the chief content officer for our parent company, e.Republic, stated in a meeting that we should not run articles that could draw the attention of the Trump White House and have them try to shut us down."
Greenblatt says that the 40 year-old magazine is small, yet prestigious, and the "idea of anyone in the current White House was reading it, let alone preparing to hammer it, struck me as dubious."
"The notion that the litigious Trump would hit us with a lawsuit was not impossible, but it was unlikely," Greenblatt says. "But after Trump’s second term began, the corporate anxiety about rocking the boat with our coverage became a constant."
The former National Public Radio (NPR) employee cites Trump's attacks on CBS, ABC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press, "not to mention defunding NPR," but says that "the little guys too often decide they lack the resources to stand up. Capitulation becomes the easier course."
What we've seen happen in other countries is happening here, Greenblatt says.
"Self-censorship is particularly damaging because it takes place in private; in the absence of photos of reporters walking out of the Pentagon, no one even knows it’s happened," he writes.
But the "edicts" Greenblatt received during this past first year of Trump's second term, he writes, was alarming.
"I was told that an article about attitudes toward vaccines caused 'consternation' among the higher ups because that issue has become partisan. I warned my boss that if we weren’t going to reflect reality — if we weren’t going to do journalism — I’d have to quit," he writes.
And what pushed him to do just that was an article he wrote defending the First Amendment and freedom of speech in the wake of the assassination of MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk and the firing of late night host Jimmy Kimmel.
"I immediately faced resistance. Although my boss said the piece was 'very well done,' she asked if it was necessary given the amount of coverage the free speech issue had already drawn," he writes.
"She told me she did not think running the piece was a good idea; after all, she noted, it violated the stated company policy against setting off alarm bells within the Trump White House," Greenblatt says.
After 20 years at the magazine, he quit, saying, "Being told I couldn’t defend free speech was almost too on the nose."
Despite the magazine trying to persuade him to stay, their unwillingness to offer him "the assurances I sought regarding editorial independence," confirmed his decision to leave.
In response to a request for comment, an e.Republic spokesperson said, “Governing’s mission is to inform and support the state and local leaders working to make government more effective. … Our journalism is intentionally nonpartisan, aimed at ensuring all perspectives are considered. That’s what our audience expects from us and what we strive to deliver. The only editorial direction we prescribe to our team is to stay within the focus of our mission and approach.”
Greenblatt says that while he applauds other journalists' decisions to do what he did in the face of censorship, "their departures are a loss."
"Fewer people who are willing to stand up and demand honest coverage remain in positions where they can make that happen. Surely the public will suffer at least a bit now that nearly all Pentagon reporters have left the building," he says.
He also says he hopes his colleagues in journalism join him in taking a stand against Trump's suppression of free speech.
As official government data becomes more politicized, it’s increasingly important that independent sources maintain their integrity," he says.
"Journalists in particular have a professional obligation to pursue and provide the truth to the best of their abilities. That’s the job. I hope and trust that most of my colleagues still have the courage to do it right."