Media bosses are warning that Donald Trump’s second administration could bring a crackdown on press freedom as they face the return of a US president who has denounced journalists as “the enemy of the people”.

Since his first successful presidential campaign eight years ago, Trump has routinely castigated the “mainstream media”, which he derides as “fake news”. This time round he ratcheted up his criticisms, repeatedly threatening to revoke broadcast licences for news channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox, and saying last month it was time to “straighten out” the “corrupt press”. 

As the former reality television star prepares to move back into the White House, US news groups fear he will make good on his threats through regulation, litigation or intimidation. The anxiety comes at a time of heightened vulnerability for the US news media, which is facing declining audiences, plunging trust and waning relevance as large groups of the country’s population find their information elsewhere.