{"id":311704,"date":"2025-01-23T15:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T20:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=trump-signs-executive-order-to-stop-government-censorship-online"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:25:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:25:52","slug":"trump-signs-executive-order-to-stop-government-censorship-online","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/trump-signs-executive-order-to-stop-government-censorship-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump signs executive order to stop \u201cgovernment censorship\u201d online"},"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 data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" href=\"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 signs executive order to stop \u201cgovernment censorship\u201d on social media<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>New from Pew Research Center:<\/strong> A closer look at Americans\u2019 experiences with news on TikTok<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> CNN to lay off hundreds of staffers<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> More than a dozen Fox News alumni to serve in Trump\u2019s second administration<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> TikTok news consumers are just as likely to get news from influencers or celebrities as from the media<\/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> <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-executive-order-censorship-misinformation-social-media-b344d8c75463990ff6e782bc836bb337\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed an executive order on his first day back in office<\/a> to <strong>immediately stop all <strong>\u201c<\/strong>government censorship\u201d<\/strong> and ensure free speech. The order claims that the federal government had previously infringed on free speech rights under the guise of combating misinformation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/07\/20\/most-americans-favor-restrictions-on-false-information-violent-content-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Between 2018 and 2023<\/a>, a growing share of Americans said that the <strong>U.S. government should take steps to restrict false information online,<\/strong> even if it limits freedom of information. Overall, the share who expressed this view in 2023 (55%) exceeded the share who said freedom of information should be protected, even if it means false information can be published (42%). There are large differences by political party on this question, with Democrats much more likely to support government restrictions on false information.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Americans also favor more rather than less regulation of Big Tech companies.<\/strong> When asked in a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2024\/04\/29\/americans-views-of-technology-companies-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">February 2024 survey<\/a> whether the government should regulate major technology companies more, less or at its current level, 51% said these companies should be regulated more than they are now, versus just 16% who said there should be less regulation. And 31% said the level of regulation should stay the same.<\/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\udea8 <strong>New from Pew Research Center<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>TikTok\u00a0<\/strong>is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/01\/20\/tech\/tiktok-future-donald-trump-ban-sale\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">back online in the U.S.<\/a> following President Trump\u2019s delay of a federal ban. Our research has documented the site\u2019s rise as an\u00a0<strong>important news source for many Americans.<\/strong>\u00a0At the same time, relatively few of the TikTok accounts that Americans follow are journalists or news accounts. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dive into the details about\u00a0how Americans get news on TikTok in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/01\/17\/a-closer-look-at-americans-experiences-with-news-on-tiktok\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our new roundup<\/a>.\u00a0<\/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\udcec <strong>You\u2019re invited<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Save the date! Pew Research Center is hosting a virtual panel discussion on Thursday, Feb.\u00a06, 2025, from noon to 1 p.m.\u00a0EST. Our panelists will discuss influencers as a source of information about current events and civic issues in the U.S. The event is free and open to the public. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pewresearch.us1.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=0ce5e52973&amp;e=a43f391fce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Register here.<\/a><\/strong><\/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\udccc\u00a0<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>CNN <\/strong>to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/01\/22\/cnn-to-lay-off-hundreds-of-employees-post-inauguration.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lay off hundreds of employees<\/a> as it builds out digital products&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Murdoch-owned tabloids <\/strong>apologize to <strong>Prince Harry<\/strong> as part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2025\/01\/22\/prince-harry-murdoch-sun-trial-settlement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">settlement over invasion of privacy<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li>New\u00a0<strong>FCC chair<\/strong>\u00a0reinstates\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jan\/22\/fcc-reinstates-complaints-abc-cbs-nbc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">complaints against major TV networks<\/a>\u00a0for election coverage<\/li>\n\n\n<li>How the <strong>Tulsa Local News Initiative<\/strong> aims to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/2025\/01\/the-tulsa-local-news-initiative-combines-old-and-new-to-shore-up-the-citys-information-ecosystem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expand the city\u2019s local journalism<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Meta<\/strong> attempts to <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/01\/21\/meta-lures-tiktok-creators-with-5k-bonuses-content-deals-free-verification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attract TikTok creators to post on Reels<\/a> with bonuses, deals and free verification\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Inauguration TV viewership<\/strong> was the <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/media\/5099993-inauguration-tv-viewership-low\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lowest since 2013<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/graphics\/2025-youtube-podcast-men-for-trump\/#selection-8111.323-8111.410\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bloomberg analysis<\/a>\u00a0looks at\u00a0<strong>YouTubers\u2019 impact on young men<\/strong>\u00a0in the presidential election\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\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\">A substantial number of former\u00a0<strong>Fox News<\/strong>\u00a0hosts, commentators, producers and other personnel \u2013 by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/19\/business\/media\/trump-fox-news-cabinet.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one count<\/a>, as many as 19 \u2013 are poised to\u00a0occupy roles in the <strong>new Trump administration,\u00a0<\/strong>raising questions about how the cable news channel will cover the executive branch.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>This includes\u00a0<strong>Pete Hegseth,\u00a0<\/strong>the nominee for defense secretary who previously co-hosted Fox &amp; Friends. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fox News remains one of Americans\u2019 primary sources for political news. Half of U.S. adults say Fox News is either a major (22%) or minor (28%) source of political and election news for them, with Republicans much more likely to say this, according to a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/10\/10\/where-americans-turn-for-election-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Center survey<\/a> conducted in September 2024. And in an open-ended question on the same survey, Fox News was the most common single outlet that Americans named as their <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2024\/10\/31\/americans-top-sources-of-political-news-ahead-of-the-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">main source of political news<\/a>, at 13%.\u00a0<\/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\">This week\u2019s chart comes from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/01\/17\/a-closer-look-at-americans-experiences-with-news-on-tiktok\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our new roundup of data on how Americans get news on TikTok<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among U.S. adults who say they regularly get news on TikTok,<strong>\u00a0just as many say they ever get news on the site from influencers or celebrities (68%) as from news outlets or journalists (67%),<\/strong> according to a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/06\/12\/tiktok-users-experiences-with-news\/#how-people-get-news-on-tiktok\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">March 2024 survey<\/a>\u00a0from the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pew-knight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pew-Knight Initiative<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And an even higher share (84%) say they\u00a0<strong>get news from other people they don\u2019t know personally<\/strong>\u00a0who are\u00a0<em>not<\/em>\u00a0influencers or celebrities, news outlets or journalists, or advocacy or nonprofit organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e4dfe0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e4dfe0;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/01\/SR_25.01.17_tiktok-roundup_3.webp?resize=480,389 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/01\/SR_25.01.17_tiktok-roundup_3.webp?resize=782,633 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/01\/SR_25.01.17_tiktok-roundup_3.webp?resize=840,680 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"518\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/01\/SR_25.01.17_tiktok-roundup_3.webp?w=640\" alt=\"A bar chart showing that TikTok news consumers are just as likely to get news from influencers or celebrities as from the media.\" class=\"wp-image-197729 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, Sarah Naseer, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang and Emily Tomasik. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by David Kent.<\/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>Plus, a closer look at Americans\u2019 experiences with news on TikTok<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5591,"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 signs executive order to stop 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