2011In the piece
At the very top of the machine, a man in a bow tie sits on a gilded red throne in front of a wall of CCTV and news screens. He watches everything and controls the floors below.
2025–26In the news
Reporters Without Borders dropped the US seven places to 64th in its 2026 index, saying Trump had turned attacks on the press into "a systematic policy". The global average score was the lowest in the index's 25-year history. In March 2025 Trump ordered the US Agency for Global Media, which runs Voice of America, cut back "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law". In March 2026 a federal judge ruled that the official who carried out the cuts had been unlawfully appointed and voided her actions. An appeals court has paused the return of staff while the government appeals.
