Jane Fonda Leads Protest on Free Expression Threats at Kennedy Center

On a rainy Friday afternoon in Washington, D.C., actress Jane Fonda led a group of prominent artists, performers and journalists in a protest outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, decrying what they described as threats to free expression under the Trump administration. The event, organized by the Committee for the First Amendment and titled Artists United for Our Freedom, drew about 100 attendees and featured speeches, musical performances and readings focused on censorship, media consolidation and political influence over cultural institutions.

Fonda, who relaunched the committee last October, addressed the crowd from a makeshift stage near the center, highlighting concerns over recent media mergers and their potential to undermine independent journalism. She pointed to the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount combination and the Federal Communications Commission's approval of the Nexstar-Tegna deal, which together would create a major broadcast network spanning nearly 270 television stations. "Since Trump has taken over the approval of media mergers, we risk having major jewels in the crown of independent journalism and nuanced entertainment being...