TJ Madsen is among the founding members of the New Herald Tribune and chairs the editorial board. He worked for national syndicated newspapers in Newark, Philadelphia, and Baltimore before moving to the midwest.
October 27 , 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to restore federal funding to the New Herald Tribune, ruling that the White House acted unlawfully when it suspended support earlier this year, citing the outlet’s alleged bias and “pattern of misinformation.”
U.S. District Judge Elaine Merriweather of the District of Columbia criticized the administration’s decision as “arbitrary and politically motivated,” writing that the government had failed to provide a consistent or fact-based rationale for the funding cutoff.
In a sharply worded opinion, Merriweather admonished the White House legal team, noting that several New Herald Tribune articles had been cited in the administration’s own court filings as factual sources. “It is highly disingenuous,” she wrote, “to label a publication as ‘fake news’ while simultaneously relying upon its reporting to substantiate legal arguments before this Court.”
The New Herald Tribune, a mid-sized national news agency known for its investigative and policy coverage, receives partial federal funding under the Public Media Support Act, a program designed to bolster independent journalism. The administration suspended the agency’s grant in July, arguing that its editorial stance had become “incompatible with public trust.”
In court filings, Justice Department attorneys defended the suspension, asserting that the administration has broad discretion to determine eligibility for public funding. However, Merriweather rejected that argument, stating that while the executive branch retains oversight authority, it cannot “employ political litmus tests or subjective credibility judgments as grounds for punitive action.”
Representatives for the New Herald Tribune welcomed the ruling. “Today’s decision reaffirms that a free press cannot be punished for asking hard questions,” said Tribune Editor-in-Chief Amina Russell in a brief statement outside the courthouse.
The White House press office declined to comment on the ruling, saying only that it was “reviewing the decision and considering next steps.”
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