Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made a habit of attacking journalists covering his campaign and promised to make it easier for people to sue news outlets they don't like, both of which the head of the Newspaper Association of America believes represent an unacceptable assault on press freedoms.

In a recent op-ed published in several news outlets, NAA CEO David Chavern recounted Trump's many insults directed at reporters as well as his promise to "loosen" laws that currently protect media companies from libel lawsuits. He also noted Trump has a history of threatening to sue news organizations he feels have insulted him, with one suit being dismissed in 2011.

"This would all be amusing and annoying if he were just another rich guy who wanted to manage his press coverage," Chavern said. "But he is making the case that he should have the highest elective office in the land—and that disdain for the role of a free press in our society is acceptable for someone who could hold that role. Moreover, he is convincing large segments of the public that it's acceptable too."

Chavern is the latest association CEO to express concern about Trump's candidacy. In a May interview with the technology news site C|NET, National Cable & Telecommunications Association CEO Michael Powell didn't mention Trump by name, but said that leadership means "trying to connect the better nature of people and not profit from the worst nature in people."

More recently, Consumer Technology Association CEO Gary Shapiro acknowledged in an interview with the online DCInno that many of Trump's policies were at odds with those of the tech sector, "which is surprising for a Republican candidate." http://bit.ly/1rd8zZK

The problem for many business groups is they don't see a good alternative to Trump. Shapiro is just as turned off by Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton and has suggested former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney should run as an independent.

Sen. Bernie Sanders' embrace of socialism never made him a serious candidate for the business community, with U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue taking the step of denouncing the senator's views as "wholly misguided" in a February opinion piece on the organization's website. (Donohue also has condemned Trump's statements on immigrants and free trade, although the CEO did not name the candidate.)

Chavern focused only on Trump's frequent clashes with the press. The CEO acknowledged that reporters "can be rude, and lazy and biased, just like anyone else." But the system only works if there are many journalists doing the things that reporters do: Fact checking, questioning and complaining.

"To propel his own interests forward, Mr. Trump is now working hard to make the case to the public that a free press is an annoyance he—and we—can do without," Chavern said. "More than anything he has said or done to date, THAT view should be seen as a clear and present danger to our free society." http://bit.ly/217QR6a

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