With spate of lawsuits, Trump goes after US media [Video]

In his first post-election news conference, President-elect Donald Trump vowed to “straighten out” the “corrupt” US press.

Before he’s even taken office, he’s already made efforts to shape the media in his favor — tapping loyalists for publicly funded outlets and launching unprecedented lawsuits against newspapers and pollsters that observers worry are the signs of escalating intimidation and censorship tactics.

On Monday, the billionaire sued pollster Ann Selzer, the Des Moines Register newspaper and its parent company Gannett over a pre-election poll that — wrongly, come Election Day — saw him behind in the state.

That suit came after broadcaster ABC paid $15 million, plus legal fees, to settle a defamation suit after one of its reporters repeatedly said Trump had been found liable for “rape” — in fact, he had been liable for sexual abuse.

Several legal scholars argued the outlet would have likely prevailed in court against Trump.

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