‘There have been a lot of implications on our First Amendment rights as journalists.’

Dorothy Carpenter is a senior majoring in JAMS with a focus on journalism. Given her background, the recent attacks on freedom of speech in journalism were a relevant topic. Trump’s administration has made many efforts to quash any unfavorable media coverage, an issue that will affect many of us as we forge our way in the job market after graduating.

Nina Marks: How has the Trump administration affected you as a student?

Dorothy Carpenter: Personally, the biggest impact that it has had on me as a student is that it’s made me worried for my potential career in journalism. I think that there have been a lot of implications on our First Amendment rights as journalists, due to what Trump has been doing. There are a lot of implications for free speech, and just the press in general. For example, Trump was trying to select which journalists were allowed into the White House to cover him and his administration. That’s not right. You can’t pick and choose. So that just has me worried.

Nina Marks: What has been the biggest personal impact of the administration?

Dorothy Carpenter: The government shutdown has had a big impact on me. My mom is going through the process of applying for disability because she isn’t able to work right now due to some medical complications. Her whole application is frozen because of the shutdown. And she was in one of the final stages; she was finally about to get on disability, but that was a big setback. I also heard that with the government shut down, they are cutting SNAP benefits, which a lot of kids rely on. A lot of parents can’t afford food, especially in this economy. I think I heard that, like, starting in November, they’re not giving Alp those benefits anymore. And I just think that’s really problematic because a lot of people don’t have access to food, and kids depend on those to eat. It’s just not right.

Nina Marks: Do you think freedom of speech is under attack?

Dorothy Carpenter: I do. I think that with everything Trump has done to journalists already shows that freedom of speech is under attack. I think that we’re in a time where it’s just under attack in general. There’s a lot of political divide, and that’s leading to a lot of political violence. The biggest example I can think of right now is Charlie Kirk being shot. I didn’t agree with him politically, but nobody should be shot for their political opinion. It’s getting so out of hand because the administration is so out of hand. It’s a rippling effect.

Nina Marks: What do you think this will mean for the future of journalism in this country?

Dorothy Carpenter: Honestly, I don’t know. And that scares me. The public has also lost a lot of trust in journalists. Rightfully so. There has been a lot of bad journalism and a lot of bad things happening. I hope that journalism re-centers around its core value of providing a watchdog on the government. I just feel like this is creating an environment where there’s going to be a lot of bias, which worries me because I don’t think that that’s true or traditional journalism.

Nina Marks: What do you see impacting the students around you?

Dorothy Carpenter: I think people are pissed. People are pissed. They don’t like what he’s doing, generally speaking. The biggest thing that people are most mad about is ICE. There’s fear, too. I think a lot of students are scared to be on a campus while this is going on. I think there’s just a lot of fear and uncertainty right now. And it’s hard to see because I feel like we shouldn’t have to deal with that while we’re getting our education. We should just be able to be there and be present and learn. But I think for a lot of people, that’s not the case, and if things continue to go the way that they’re going, that will continue to be the case.

Nina Marks: What do you think your career will look like in the coming years?

Dorothy Carpenter: It depends on how this all unfolds. If Trump continues to want things to be censored and doesn’t want to have a true press around him, I think that’s gonna cause a lot of issues. I think that journalists are gonna get really mad. And I think there’s also an element of fear that goes along with that — the fear of speaking out against him. It’s hard to say because I still don’t really see where this is going.