Press freedom groups are criticizing Maryland Governor Wes Moore for allegedly retaliating against media outlets, drawing comparisons to former President Donald Trump’s treatment of journalists.
A coalition of prominent press freedom organizations is accusing Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, of retaliating against news outlets that scrutinize his administration. This criticism follows an October 13 letter from the Freedom of the Press Foundation and six other journalism and civil liberties groups.
The organizations expressed concern over the Moore administration’s decision to subject inquiries from reporters at Sinclair-affiliated news outlets and The Baltimore Sun to additional legal review. This move coincided with a defamation lawsuit filed against Moore by David Smith, the executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group and majority owner of The Baltimore Sun. Maryland agencies have explicitly referenced Smith’s lawsuit in their written responses to reporters, indicating that inquiries from Sinclair-affiliated outlets would be referred to legal counsel before a response is provided.
Moore has previously condemned Trump’s treatment of journalists. During a September 20 appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” he criticized the former president for barring reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, accusing Trump of treating the Constitution “like it is a suggestion box simply because he does not like the coverage.”
Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, stated that it is particularly troubling for Moore to enhance his national profile by criticizing the Trump administration’s unconstitutional attempts to restrict media access while engaging in similar practices himself.
The coalition of press freedom groups, which includes the Committee to Protect Journalists, PEN America, Reporters Without Borders, and the Society of Professional Journalists, argued that journalists should not face different treatment from government officials due to disputes involving their outlets’ ownership. They drew parallels to the Trump administration’s restrictions on certain White House reporters.
In response to these allegations, Moore’s office strongly disputed the claims, asserting that reporters continue to receive responses from state agencies despite the additional legal scrutiny. Ammar Moussa, Moore’s senior press secretary and director of media strategy, told Fox News Digital that the central premise of the letter is “completely false.” He emphasized that there is no blanket refusal to engage with reporters.
“In the last week alone, state agencies and the Governor’s Office have answered dozens of questions from Sinclair outlets, and we’re happy to let them share those responses,” Moussa stated. He explained that having the legal team review inquiries is a matter of due diligence, not an attempt to impose a blackout on media requests. “A litigant doesn’t get to dictate how the state protects itself, but that hasn’t stopped our agencies from doing their jobs for the people of Maryland,” he added.
The dispute originates from a defamation lawsuit filed by Smith against Moore in July. Smith accused the governor of making false and damaging statements about him during a television interview, including remarks that Smith interpreted as suggesting he had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Smith, whose media holdings include The Baltimore Sun, has been a frequent target of criticism from Moore, who has accused the newspaper’s ownership of promoting a political agenda aligned with Trump. Smith contends that Moore’s remarks crossed the line from political criticism into defamation.
The lawsuit was filed by Smith personally, rather than by the news organizations whose reporters have faced additional legal scrutiny regarding their inquiries. The coalition’s letter urged Moore to instruct all Maryland agencies that Smith’s lawsuit is a personal matter and should not result in media requests being sent into a “legal review black hole.” They called for an end to any unlawful retaliation against news outlets that the governor personally dislikes.
“It is particularly jarring that, while government agencies under your watch stonewall reporters based on flimsy pretexts, you take to the airwaves to condemn the Trump administration’s unconstitutional ban of news outlets the president doesn’t like from the White House,” the letter stated. “Yes, Trump frequently turns his personal grudges into censorial government policy, to the detriment of the public. But your own conduct appears not much different.”
As the situation unfolds, the scrutiny of Moore’s media practices continues, raising important questions about press freedom and government accountability in Maryland.
According to Fox News, the ongoing tensions between the Moore administration and press freedom advocates highlight the complexities of media relations in the political landscape.