The White House has rolled out a new section on its official website called “Media Offender of the Week,” a feature designed to single out what the administration characterizes as inaccurate or misleading news stories.
At the center of the page is a digital “Hall of Shame” highlighting major outlets such as CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post, and CBS News, alongside specific claims the administration brands as biased or false. Announced by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the feature is billed as an ongoing catalog of what the administration describes as false or misleading reports.
Why the New Page Matters
The initiative marks a new, formal step in President Donald Trump’s long-running clash with mainstream news organizations, which he has repeatedly derided as “fake news.”
Its launch follows renewed scrutiny of Trump’s interactions with reporters, including a November 14 exchange in which he told a female Bloomberg journalist to “quiet, piggy” and appeared to wag a finger at her when she pressed him on the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Critics say the effort raises fresh alarms about press freedom and the traditional role of an independent media in scrutinizing the presidency. It also comes as the page targets outlets owned by figures across the political spectrum—from Jeff Bezos’s Washington Post to David Ellison’s CBS News—even as Trump has previously praised Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount as a win for press freedom.
How the Tracker Works
The site divides examples of news coverage into categories such as “Bias,” “Lie,” “Malpractice,” and “Left-wing Lunacy.” Its current spotlight is on reports about Trump’s reaction to a video in which six Democratic members of Congress, including Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, urged service members to reject illegal orders and uphold their constitutional oath.
Trump responded on Truth Social with “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” and reposted another message calling to “HANG THEM.”
According to the administration, numerous outlets misrepresented those posts as explicit calls for executions. The White House argues that Trump was demanding accountability for what he views as inciting military insubordination, stressing in its messaging that “President Trump has never issued an illegal order.”
The tracker identifies several organizations as “repeat offenders,” including The New York Times, Axios, Politico, ABC News, The Hill, and The Associated Press. The Wall Street Journal appears prominently on the “leaderboard” despite Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Murdoch-owned publication over coverage he says tied him to Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Fox News is notably absent from the lists.
The page also compiles detailed entries for dozens of TV segments and articles, along with a word cloud visualization of what it calls frequent offenders.
CBS News is featured heavily, even though Trump has recently applauded changes at the network. After Ellison’s summer takeover of Paramount and Bari Weiss becoming editor-in-chief, Trump described the shake-up as positive for press freedom and called Weiss “a great person” during a recent 60 Minutes interview—his first with the program since receiving a $16 million settlement over a pre-election interview the show conducted with then–Vice President Kamala Harris.
Separately, the Pentagon announced Monday that it may recall Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy captain, to active duty for potential court-martial proceedings under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
How Critics Are Responding
In a statement posted on the new page, the White House said:
“The media misrepresented President Trump’s call for Members of Congress to be held accountable for inciting sedition by saying that he called for their ‘execution.’ The Democrats and Fake News Media subversively implied that President Trump had issued illegal orders to service members. Every order President Trump has issued has been lawful. It is dangerous for sitting Members of Congress to incite insubordination in the United States’ military, and President Trump called for them to be held accountable.”
Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta told MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, on Saturday:
“I think Donald Trump has cracked the code on how to hurt the press in this country with these lawsuits that have been settled. It’s done terrible damage to the industry, I think, by and large when he puts that kind of stuff up on the White House website.”
The Washington Post, in a response quoted by the outlet, said through a spokesperson:
“The Washington Post is proud of its accurate, rigorous journalism.”
Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, voiced concern in comments to The Washington Post, saying:
“People understand the obvious conflict inherent in a presidential administration appointing itself the arbiter of media bias, and I expect that after the initial wave of publicity, few Americans will be paying attention to this latest stunt.”
He added:
“The gimmick is wearing thin.”
What Comes Next
The administration appears prepared to refresh the “Media Offender of the Week” tracker on an ongoing basis, signaling that this public naming-and-shaming strategy is likely to remain a regular feature of its media relations.
