More than 2,300 members of the Writers Guild of America have signed an open letter in which the recent measures by President Trump and his administration are deciphered, of which they say that they represent “an unprecedented, authoritarian attack”.
The members of WGA East and WGA West Union, who sign the letter, include Spike Lee, Adam McKay, Ilana Glazer, Mike Schur, Liz Merrewether and Tony Gilroy.
In the letter, Trump quotes “unfounded complaints” against news organizations that “published stories that he does not like and have prescribed them in payments”. For example, it refers to the agreement of Paramount Global in the last month of paying Trump 16 million US dollars to settle “a merit -free lawsuit” against CBS over a “60 -minute interview” with Kamala Harris, which Trump claimed that he had dealt deceptively. In addition, the letter states that Trump “has returned to publications that reported factually about the White House and threatened the licenses of broadcasters” and regularly demanded the cancellation of news and entertainment TV shows that criticize him.
The WGA letter also means that Republicans worked with the Trump administration in the congress in order to remove the public broadcasting company “to silence PBS and NPR”. The CPB announced last week that it will be closed for public media after the Federal Financing has been canceled.
The FCC, led by Trump's chairman Brendan Carr, “conditioned the approval of the barrel-stimulus paramount fusion for the assurances that CBS would make“ significant changes ”at the alleged ideological views of his journalism and entertainment programs. On July 24, the FCC approved the deck paramount deal, which will be completed on August 7 two days before the agency approved. The General Counsel of Skydance sent letters to Carr and promised that the case case was an ombudsman in the CBS check “Complaints from Bias or other concerns” and the variation of the company.
“These are un -American attempts to limit the types of stories and jokes that can be told in order to silence criticism and disagreements,” the letter said. “We have no king, we have a president. And the president cannot choose what on television, in film cinemas, on stage, on our bookshelves or in the news.”
The letter from the WGA members “calls for our elected representatives and industry leaders to oppose this presentation” and “our audience” and “every single person who is ready to fight for a free and democratic future” to “raise their voice”.
In an explanation diversityThe spokeswoman for the White House, Taylor Rogers, quoted reports that CBS '”The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” lost more than 40 million dollars a year. “Every company with common sense would cancel the production of a failing product that loses $ 40 million-precisely what Colbert's show did. President Trump is right that everyday Americans do not want to see Colbert's talent losses. The protection of the first change has a top priority for President Trump, which is why he has under contract.
Trump's executive order dated January 20 “Restoration of freedom of expression and termination of the Federal Czensur” claimed that the bids administration “trampled freedom rights by censorship of the speech of the Americans on online platforms, often through considerable compulsory pressure on third parties.” In a judgment in June 2024, the Supreme Court rejected a case led by Republicans in which the White House forced illegally social platforms, to remove Covid and the 2020 presidential elections that were regarded as misinformation.
The Signatories to the WGA's Open Letter Include: Tony Gilroy (“Andor”), Spike Lee (“Malcolm X”), David Simon (“The Wire”), Lilly Wachowski (The Matrix Triology), Adam McKay (“Don't look up”), Ilana Glazer (“BREAD City”), Scott Frank (“The Queen's Gambit ”), Liz Merriwether (“ New Girl ”), Kenneth Lonergan (“ Manchester by the Sea ”), Justin Kuritzkes (“ Challengers ”), John Waters (“ Hairspray ”), Desus Nice (“ Desus & Mero ”), Gillian Flynn (“ Gone Girl ”), Celine Song (“ Past Lives ”), David) Mandel (“Veep”), Amber Ruffin (“Late Night With Seth Meyers”), Soo Hugh (“Pachinko”), Sarah Sherman (“Saturday Night Live”), Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma”), Phoebe Robinson (“2 Dope Queens”), Roy Wood Jr. You ”), Winnie Holtzman (“ Wicked ”), Shawn Ryan (“ The Night Agent ”), Merrill Markoe (“ Late Night With David Letterman ”), Mike Schur (“ A man on the inside ”) and Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky (“ Hacks ”).
The complete copy of the letter with signatories available from This link.
Here is the text of the open letter:
We are members of the Writers Guild of America who speak in one voice to decrypt the dangerous and escalating attacks on the first change, the independent media and the free press.
We are an association of screenwriters, television authors and journalists who were built and maintained on the basis of the foundation of the conviction that courageous storytelling, fearless comedies and unshakable reporting for free and democratic society are indispensable. We have always understood that loyalty to these beliefs could lead to attacks by our bosses, company interests or even politicians. Nevertheless, we always understood our role in a healthy democracy.
Now we stand by an unprecedented, authoritarian attack. In the past few months alone, President Trump has submitted unfounded complaints against news organizations that have published stories that he does not like and used them in payments, especially with Paramount, which colonized a merit -free lawsuit for $ 16 million. He has rewarded himself against publications that reported the White House factually and threatened the licenses of channels. He regularly calls for the cancellation of news and entertainment television shows, which criticize him in late night and finally the view.
Alarmingly, the majority of the federal government have now joined these attacks. The Republicans of the Congress have worked together to remove the public broadcasting company in order to silence PBS and NPR. The FCC openly conditioned its approval of the barrel-stimulus paramount fusion in relation to the assurances that CBS would make “significant changes” for the alleged ideological point of view of its journalism and his entertainment programming. The chairman of the FCC, Brendan Carr, has repeated Trump's threats.
And yet Paramount still asks us to believe that the cancellation of the late show with Stephen Colbert was not about politics or a merger permit.
These are un -American attempts to limit the types of stories and jokes that can be told in order to silence criticism and contradiction.
We have no king, we have a president. And the president cannot choose what is on television, in film cinemas, on stage, on our bookshelves or the news.
We ask our elected representatives and industry leaders to oppose this presentation. We ask our audience, every single person who is willing to fight for a free and democratic future to raise their voice.
This is certainly not the first time that freedom of speech in this country is being attacked, but freedom of speech remains our right because the generation has devoted itself to protection according to the generation of Americans. Now and always when writers are attacked, our collective power as a union enables us to defend themselves. This time in American life will not take forever, and when it comes to the world, you will remember who had the courage to comment.