Why is it “der Presse” instead of “die Presse”

Question

Der Presse zufolge war der Prozess unfair.

Found this sentence while learning. The translation is: The press said the trial was unfair. Since Presse is feminine, why is it preceded by der?

Answer 1

zufolge is a postposition which can be translated as according to and whose object (here, Presse) is in the dative case, and the dative of die Presse is der Presse. der Presse zufolge therefore translates to according to the press and your whole example sentence translates to:

According to the press, the trial was unfair.

The translation you gave is a rather free one, which may change the emphasis and nuances in some contexts.

Note that zufolge can also be used as a preposition taking the genetive case, which is however unusual.

Answer 2

The reason is the preposition zufolge: it requires the dative. The dative of die Presse is der Presse.

Refer to: Link

It becomes more apparent when rephrasing the sentence:

Zufolge der Presse war der Prozess unfair.

This usage, however, is very unusual. Unlike most prepositions zufolge is put after the object it is referring to instead of in front.