As President Donald J. Trump steps into office, the role of the press in the presidency shifts as uncertainty spreads around which rights that the First Amendment protects.

The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

President Trump is known for antagonizing the press even though they play a crucial role in his campaign and in his presidency. He has repeatedly lashed out at television networks such as NBC and newspapers such as the New York Times for spreading false news.

“I would say that the press’s job is to monitor centers of power, and the presidency is one of the biggest centers of power in the world,” managing editor of Poynter Institute Benjamin Mullin said. “The press’s job, I would say, is to provide a check on the authority of the presidency, to make sure that the president is honest about what’s happening with the government and hopefully to promote transparency throughout all levels of the general government.”

Trump often accuses professional journalists of false news, which leads him to avoid press conferences. During his campaign, he held his first press conference in July, and he recently held his second on January 11. However, the sparsity of press conferences leads to a number of unanswered questions about the president’s policies.

“On the one hand, I really appreciate the sensitive and caring nature of the students who are in journalism classes. On the other hand, it’s also important how to ask difficult questions in a civil voice, with a calm demeanor, but with courage and with the idea you’re going to get the answer to it,” Director of Journalism Ellen Austin said. “I think now more than ever we need strong journalists, and that’s at every level, whether it’s covering the White House or covering a high school campus.

Because of their aversion to these sensitive questions, Trump’s administration may bring threats against the liberty of the press. In February, during a rally in Fort Worth, he spoke about libel laws, although he has not touched upon the subject since he was inaugurated.

“I’m going to open up our libel laws, so when they write purposively negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money,” he said.

Recently, Meryl Streep spoke about the importance of the press, subtly pointing at the discord between the Trump and the press.

“We need the principled press to hold power to account, to call him on the carpet for every outrage,” she said in her speech at the Golden Globes awards. “That’s why our founders enshrined the press and its freedoms in the Constitution.”

On the day after the inauguration, Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, explained that there seemed to be less people at the inaugurations due to the framing of the photographs and the grass covering, which “had the effect of highlighting any of the areas where people were not standing.”

“This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe,” he said. “These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong.”

On Wednesday, Stephen Bannon, the Counselor to the President, called the media “the opposition party.”

“The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while,” he said in an interview with New York Times.

However, ever since Trump was sworn in as president, he himself has not said anything against the First Amendment.

“Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don’t always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views,” he tweeted on Sunday.

Despite his tweet, many are worried about the future of the press and, more specifically, whether the president with acknowledge the importance of the press.

“[The first amendment] is endangered in the sense that the official policy of the president’s administration is based on packaging messages and promoting its outlook regardless of the efficacy of that outlook,” history and social science teacher Damon Halback said. “Presidents always package their messages, but this administration uniquely has shown an desire to place their outcomes over fact-based outcomes in a way that’s unprecedented.”