{"id":311679,"date":"2025-07-24T16:02:24","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T20:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=trump-sues-wsj-over-epstein-reporting"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:20:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:20:28","slug":"trump-sues-wsj-over-epstein-reporting","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/trump-sues-wsj-over-epstein-reporting\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump sues WSJ over Epstein reporting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information<\/em>.<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In today<em>\u2019<\/em>s email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Featured story:<\/strong> Trump sues WSJ over Epstein reporting<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> CBS to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> Alden Global-affiliated publisher makes bid to buy The Dallas Morning News&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> In 2014, one-in-ten online adults used The Colbert Report as a news source<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udd25\u00a0<strong>Featured story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong>\u202fis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/trump-sues-wall-street-journal-over-epstein-report-seeks-10-billion-2025-07-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suing The Wall Street Journal<\/a> and its owners, including <strong>Rupert Murdoch,<\/strong> for $10 billion. The lawsuit accuses the news organization of defamation over a story it published last week reporting that Trump wrote a suggestive birthday message in 2003 for <strong>Jeffrey Epstein, <\/strong>who was later convicted of sexual offenses involving children. Since then, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/justice-department-told-trump-name-in-epstein-files-727a8038?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAh7jUUjVUAad3IZTTwUf6OIByTWz4qyNLfq5-qTitk63xyx1a324Zw8YEucvAM%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68822ac4&amp;gaa_sig=i1-NkHs8UqRZShTGBGZ8WaDGqnTV6kBSV6-UHXn_DAbURTQjn9ME_CT9fMK2JtTg9ckMho02tAcdHM485kiP6A%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Journal reported<\/a> that in May, <strong>Attorney General Pam Bondi <\/strong>told Trump that his name appears several times in Epstein investigation documents.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Three-in-ten Americans trust The Wall Street Journal as a source of news \u2013 <\/strong>twice the share who say they distrust it (15%), according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/feature\/news-media-tracker\/the_wall_street_journal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent Pew Research Center survey<\/a>. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they trust the source (37% vs. 23%), although similar shares of Republicans say they trust (23%) The Wall Street Journal as say they distrust (21%) it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc\u00a0<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>CBS <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/stephen-colbert-late-show-cbs-end-8bad9f16f076df62c0ffc50e9c8adbab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announces decision<\/a> to cancel <strong>Stephen Colbert\u2019s Late Show<\/strong> amid financial challenges, criticism of <strong>Trump-Paramount settlement<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>News agencies say&nbsp;<strong>journalists in Gaza<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c8j1j7n72ywo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">facing starvation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Google <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/news\/708089\/google-discover-ai-summaries-ios-android\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rolls out AI summaries<\/a> in its <strong>Discover news feed<\/strong><strong> <\/strong>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2025-07-22\/google-seeks-licensing-talks-with-news-groups-following-ai-rivals?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc1MzIwNDMxOCwiZXhwIjoxNzUzODA5MTE4LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTWlNSVzdHUFdDTUkwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIxMEJDQkE5REUzM0U0M0M0ODBBNzNCMjFFQzdGQ0Q2RiJ9.XdZ7fhJEsSxAnrOGoBownhcEK9YA58c433XRq3wm6kk&amp;leadSource=uverify%20wall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">looking to partner with news orgs<\/a> for a new AI project&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>French President Emmanuel Macron <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/government\/french-president-macron-sues-right-wing-podcaster-over-claim-frances-first-lady-2025-07-23\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sues conservative news influencer<\/a> <strong>Candace Owens<\/strong> for defamation&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>LA Times owner<\/strong> announces plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2025\/biz\/news\/los-angeles-times-public-company-1236466507\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">make the outlet a publicly traded company<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Cuts to NPR and PBS <\/strong>will likely hit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2025\/07\/19\/pbs-npr-cpb-cuts-rural\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rural Americans the hardest<\/a>; top <strong>NPR editor<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/22\/business\/media\/npr-edith-chapin-steps-down.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announces resignation<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>New study looks at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/07\/23\/ai-bots-news-sources-chatgpt-claude\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the types of sources<\/a> <strong>AI<\/strong> <strong>chatbots <\/strong>are citing&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/government\/us-appeals-court-will-not-lift-limits-associated-press-access-white-house-2025-07-22\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leaves in place<\/a> <strong>White House<\/strong> limits on <strong>The Associated Press<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Washington Post TikTok star <\/strong>to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/22\/business\/media\/dave-jorgenson-video-washington-post.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">go independent<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcc5\u00a0<strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Weeks after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hearst.com\/-\/dallasnews-corporation-to-join-hearst\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">agreeing to an acquisition deal<\/a> with Hearst,<strong> The Dallas Morning News<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/22\/business\/media\/dallas-morning-news-alden-global-capital.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">received a bid<\/a> from MediaNews Group, a newspaper publisher owned by the investment firm <strong>Alden Global Capital.<\/strong> While MediaNews Group said it would ensure the print edition of The Dallas Morning News continues, the publisher has implemented cost-cutting measures, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/special_report\/alden-global-capital-medianews-tribune-company.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">layoffs<\/a>, at other newspapers. The Dallas Morning News has experienced many of the same financial difficulties as other local newspapers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.poynter.org\/business-work\/2023\/dallas-morning-news-buyouts-40-jobs-6-percent-reduction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">offering voluntary buyouts<\/a> for some staff in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A majority of Americans said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/05\/07\/americans-views-on-the-financial-health-of-local-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Center survey from last year<\/a> that they think their local news outlets are doing <strong>very or somewhat well financially.<\/strong> However, <strong>this share had decreased somewhat in recent years.<\/strong> At the time of the survey, 63% of U.S. adults said they think their local news outlets are doing very or somewhat well financially, down from 71% who said the same in 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>CORRECTION (July 25, 2025): A previous version of this newsletter referred to Alden Global Capital as a hedge fund. It is an investment firm.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcca\u00a0<strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After CBS announced the upcoming cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, we look back at <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2014\/12\/12\/for-some-the-satiric-colbert-report-is-a-trusted-source-of-political-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a 2014 Center survey<\/a> about Colbert&#8217;s previous show, The Colbert Report. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, <strong>one-in-ten U.S. adult internet users said they had gotten news from the show in the past week, <\/strong>and 15% trusted the show for news. Young men ages 18 to 29 were the most likely to say they got news from and trusted the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ebe5e6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ebe5e6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"410\" height=\"396\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/07\/COTW_724.png?resize=410,396 410w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/07\/COTW_724.png\" alt=\"Colbert Report Viewers\" class=\"wp-image-270991 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s all for this week.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Jacob Liedke, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner, and Mary Randolph. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Rebecca Leppert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">journalism@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today\u2019s email: \ud83d\udd25\u00a0Featured story President Donald Trump\u202fis suing The Wall Street Journal and its owners, including Rupert Murdoch, for $10 billion. The lawsuit accuses the news organization of defamation over a story it published last week reporting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5674,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","prc_watchers":[],"footnotes":"","prc_email_subject":"Trump sues WSJ over Epstein reporting","prc_email_preview_text":"Plus, CBS to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.","prc_email_template_slug":"","prc_email_mailchimp_audience_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_segment_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_admin_url":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_status":"","prc_email_mailchimp_pending_send_at":"","prc_email_mailchimp_delayed_send_cancelled":""},"categories":[],"bylines":[],"prc_newsletter_list":[3083],"_post_visibility":[2643],"formats":[],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-311679","prc_email_campaign","type-prc_email_campaign","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","_post_visibility-hidden-on-index"],"label":"Newsletter","post_parent":0,"word_count":654,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/trump-sues-wsj-over-epstein-reporting\/","charts":[],"art_direction":{"A1":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"prc_checklist":{},"watchChildPosts":false,"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Trump sues WSJ over Epstein reporting","description":"\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. 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