The White House launched a new online portal on Tuesday, encouraging Americans to report news coverage they believe is biased or misleading.
In a press release announcing the “Media Bias Portal,” the White House framed the tool as a transparency effort, stating that, “Its purpose is to combat the baseless lies, purposely omitted context, and outright left-wing lunacy of the Fake News Media.”
The announcement calls on Americans to help “hold the Fake News accountable,” arguing that journalists have made it “impossible to identify every false or misleading story.”
The portal’s debut follows years of tension between Trump and journalists. Throughout his presidency, Trump routinely dismissed unfavorable reporting as “fake news” and labeled the media the “enemy of the American people.”
Press freedom advocates, such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, have warned that Trump’s rhetoric undermines the values of democracy.
Critics say the tip line could deepen long-standing tensions between President Donald Trump and the press while raising concerns about intimidation and public trust in journalism.
Sam Youngman, a veteran political journalist and former White House correspondent, argued against the tipline’s stated goal of accountability.
“I don’t think there’s any question. This is about intimidation,” Youngman said. “I don’t think they really want help filtering through bias. I think they want an online mob, a gang, an army of thugs to harass and intimidate hardworking reporters.”
The tip line expands the White House’s broader media portal, which features an “Offender Hall of Shame” — a database of articles, news outlets and reporters the administration accuses of “bias,” “false claims,” “lies,” “left-wing lunacy” and “misrepresentation.”
The site also highlights weekly media offenders, currently naming The Boston Globe, CBS News and The Independent.
Youngman noted that Trump’s treatment of journalists has often turned personal, particularly with female reporters, who are subjected to public insults and verbal attacks.
“Tension between the press and the White House is not new. What is new is the White House that views the truth as an enemy,” Youngman said.
Donnell Probst, executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE), said that the lack of transparency contradicts basic principles of media literacy.
Probst said that the tiplines’ use of “bias” without context oversimplifies how journalism works, especially when distinctions between straight reporting, analysis and opinion are ignored. While accountability structures already exist within most newsrooms, Probst said a government-run reporting system muddies that process.
She emphasized that media literacy encourages skepticism without defaulting to distrust.
“It’s really important to know and recognize that we all have biases. Our own beliefs, our own backgrounds and histories and experiences that color the way that we see the world,” Probst said. “So understanding how that bias plays into the way that we consume information is really important, and it’s an important part of being media literate.
Probst said audiences should engage with diverse sources, warning that seeking out reporting that only confirms existing beliefs can be harmful and should serve as a red flag for consumers.
“Having that balance is really important,” Probst said. “It might even behoove you to consume sources that present the opposite of what you traditionally think or feel, so you can better understand a different perspective.”
Youngman said he doubts the portal will be effective in any practical sense, but warned that its symbolic purpose is significant.
“This is not a new tactic,” Youngman said. “We’ve seen this from autocrats and dictators before. It’s a reminder that democracy requires not just participation, but vigilance.”