Murder the Truth Fear, the First Amendment, and a Secret Campaign to Protect the Powerful

New York Times Bestseller | #1 Bestseller

The First Amendment feels like bedrock—until you realize it’s under siege. In this urgent exposé, New York Times Business Investigations Editor David Enrich reveals a chilling truth: the legal tactics authoritarian governments have long used to silence journalists are now being deployed right here in America, by some of the country’s wealthiest and most powerful figures.

At the heart of this investigation is New York Times v. Sullivan, the landmark 1964 Supreme Court decision that made modern journalism possible. It’s the case that allows reporters to pursue truth aggressively, to hold the corrupt accountable, to speak without fear. But in 2019, Justice Clarence Thomas quietly suggested overturning it—and what began as a fringe conservative idea is now going mainstream.

Enrich traces a coordinated campaign stretching from Trump’s White House to Florida statehouses to corporate boardrooms, where elite Americans are weaponizing the legal system to intimidate, silence, and punish anyone who dares question their supremacy. This isn’t just about journalism—it’s about who gets to tell the truth in America, and who has the power to bury it.

From the author of the #1 bestselling Dark Towers comes a masterwork of investigative reporting that sounds the alarm on our most fundamental freedoms. If you care about democracy, accountability, or the future of free speech, this book belongs on your shelf.

Additional information