David Enrich — Murder the Truth: Fear, the First Amendment, and a Secret Campaign to Protect the Powerful - with Carol Leonnig

It was a quiet way to announce a revolution: In an obscure 2019 case that the Supreme Court refused to even hear, Justice Clarence Thomas raised the prospect of overturning the legendary New York Times v. Sullivan decision. Though hardly a household name, Sullivan is one of the most consequential free speech decisions, ever. Fundamental to the creation of the modern media as we know it, it has enabled journalists and writers all over the country--from top national publications to revered local newspapers to independent bloggers--to pursue the truth aggressively and hold the wealthy, powerful, and corrupt to account.Thomas's words were a warning--the public awakening of an idea that had been fomenting on the conservative fringe for years. Now it was going mainstream. From the Florida statehouse to small town New Hampshire to Donald Trump himself, this movement today consists of some of the world's richest and most powerful people and companies, who believe they should be above scrutiny and want to silence or delegitimize voices that challenge their supremacy. Indeed, many of the same businessmen, politicians, lawyers, and activists are already weaponizing the legal system to intimidate and punish journalists and others who dare criticize them.In this masterwork of investigative reporting, David Enrich, New York Times Business Investigations Editor, traces the roots and reach of this new threat to our modern democracy. Laying bare the stakes of losing our most sacrosanct rights, Murder the Truth is a story about power--the way it's used by those who have it, and the lengths they will go to avoid it being questioned.PURCHASE BOOK HERE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9780063372900?ic_referral=-UvaVYnqADB68YBTlSgQHiTvVoHaX1ENDlscbmX7MAYwM-qrSPpGTmksvgL_NOn_ht1h736SKCPz6_-caC2-eodR2f-EmZy1tOCMJeVOkeHt_XvzIcOdaVtinA_kmjm9F9QHngDavid Enrich is the Business Investigations Editor at the New York Times and the bestselling author of Dark Towers and Servants of the Damned. The winner of numerous journalism awards, he previously was an editor and reporter at the Wall Street Journal. His first book, The Spider Network: How a Math Genius and Gang of Scheming Bankers Pulled Off One of the Greatest Scams in History, was short-listed for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year award. Enrich grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, and graduated from Claremont McKenna College in California. He currently lives in New York with his wife and two sons.Enrich is in conversation with Carol Leonnig. Leonnig is a four-time Pulitzer winner, author of three New York Times bestselling books, and investigative reporter who has worked at The Washington Post since 2000. Two of her books document the unprecedented presidency of Donald J. Trump with co-author and fellow Post reporter Philip Rucker. The first, A Very Stable Genius, chronicles Trump’s first 30 months as president, and the second, I Alone Can Fix It, tells the story of his catastrophic and final year in office. Leonnig previously worked on the staff of The Charlotte Observer in North Carolina and The Philadelphia Inquirer. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College and MSNBC contributor, she lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two daughters.*recorded 3/16/2025