By Dave Van Zandt
You may have noticed that we recently reduced the number of daily fact checks we curate from six to four. We made this change because major organizations are publishing fewer fact checks. We are committed to presenting the most relevant and interesting fact checks available, not filler content. We have a theory…
Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, major fact-checking organizations such as USA TODAY Fact Check, Check Your Fact, Newsweek. and VERIFY have significantly reduced their publication frequency. This decline appears to coincide with escalating legal threats from the Trump administration toward media outlets.
In December 2024, Axios reported that then-President-elect Trump intensified legal actions against media organizations, filing defamation lawsuits and planning additional suits against news outlets and influencers. This strategy has raised concerns among press freedom advocates about potential self-censorship within the media industry.
Following Trump’s inauguration, USA TODAY’s Fact Check team has not published new content since March 2025, marking a notable pause in their fact-checking activities. Similarly, Check Your Fact and VERIFY have shown a significant slowdown in their output, with fewer fact-checks released compared to previous months.
The reduction in fact-checking efforts is occurring amidst a broader context of the Trump administration’s actions that have raised concerns about press freedom. For instance, in April 2025, the Department of Justice, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, rescinded a policy limiting subpoenas of journalists, sparking backlash over press freedom concerns.
While these fact-checking organizations have not officially stated the reasons for their reduced activity, the timing aligns with the Trump administration’s increased legal pressures on the media. This environment may contribute to a chilling effect, where news organizations become more cautious in their reporting to avoid potential legal repercussions.
The slowdown in fact-checking activities raises concerns about the public’s access to verified information, especially during a time when misinformation can spread rapidly. As the media landscape continues to navigate these challenges, fact-checkers’ role remains crucial in providing accurate information to the public.
The question we should ask is why have the fact-checkers stopped or reduced fact-checking since the inauguration? Is it a coincidence, or are they self-censoring?
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