Donald Trump’s attacks on the press are unprecedented. And he’s not even in office yet.

As a candidate, Trump blacklisted reporters and outlets that challenged him. His original campaign manager was charged with assaulting a female reporter. And journalists were confined to “media pens” at his rallies and prevented from doing their jobs.

Trump hasn’t held a press conference since July, and since becoming president-elect he's broken precedent by refusing to allow reporters to cover his whereabouts.

This is just the beginning of what will likely be a four-year, all-out assault on press freedom. Protecting journalism and free speech during a Trump administration is going to require vigilance.

At Free Press we’re committed to protecting the First Amendment. That’s why we’ve teamed up with PEN America and other groups to sign this pledge.

And this isn’t just about Trump's battles with individual outlets.

Over the past few years, more stories have emerged about journalists being detained or blocked from doing their work. Under the Trump administration, this crackdown will only get worse.

We know how important a free press is — it’s our namesake. In times of unrest and resistance, we need those doing journalism to document what’s happening and hold the powerful accountable.

We’ve never seen anything like Trump’s assaults on the First Amendment. If we don’t remain steadfast, press freedom will disappear and propaganda and fake news will replace real journalism. We can’t let that happen.

If we want to stop the Trump administration from enacting the worst of its campaign promises, we need to protect the institution that keeps us informed when our fundamental rights and freedoms are under attack.

Join us: Sign the pledge to defend the First Amendment.

Original photo by Flickr user Gage Skidmore