Budget 2026 calculator: find out if you are better or worse off

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According to a leading global watchdog, US democracy is now more imperiled than at any point since the 1960s. Press freedom is under threat on many fronts – from criminal investigations to politicized regulation, frivolous lawsuits and catastrophic funding cuts to public media. 

With the midterm elections approaching, these attacks are accelerating. Most recently, Trump banned CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House, in retaliation for “negative” coverage. While a federal judge has restored White House access for now, saying the ban is likely unconstitutional, the case is still in the courts.

At the same time, Trump is using the FCC – which is supposed to be an independent regulator in the public interest – to settle political scores: The FCC targeted ABC after Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about the First Lady, and Trump suggested that the agency should punish the host of Meet the Press for making a factual statement the president disliked. 

The Pentagon, meanwhile, fired the editor of Stars and Stripes newspaper for “insubordination” shortly after they reported on a suicide attempt aboard the USS Lincoln, the Navy aircraft carrier reported to be in dire straits after 10 months at sea.

Together these efforts make it more difficult to get fact-based reporting to US voters ahead of critical elections that will determine control of Congress and the future of Trump’s agenda.

Making matters worse, many of the US’s largest news organizations are now owned by billionaires whose personal and business interests may imperil the outlets’ editorial independence. Media critics have observed how CBS News, now owned by a Trump ally, has softened its coverage; CNN could be taken over by the same billionaire; and Jeff Bezos has imposed extreme staff cuts and editorial interventions at the Washington Post.

When freedom is under attack, it falls to a determined few news organizations to ensure the full truth still reaches the public. The Guardian is owned neither by a billionaire nor a corporation and remains dedicated to keeping trustworthy journalism paywall-free for the world.

Despite the risks of maintaining our fierce independence, what sustains us – and fills us with deep gratitude – is the unwavering support we’ve seen from readers. A majority of our funding comes directly from readers. Your support not only powers our work, but more importantly, it safeguards the financial independence that underpins our editorial freedom and courage.

We know our requests for support are not as welcome as our journalism, but without them our journalism wouldn’t exist. Of course, we understand that some readers are not in a position to support us, and if that is you, we value your readership no less.

If you can, please act today to support our journalism in the year ahead. We’re especially grateful for anyone able to set up a monthly contribution: reliable funding is vital for sustaining us throughout this dangerous period. It takes just 37 seconds to give. Thank you for protecting the free press.