Today, more than 300 newspapers across the country have joined with The Boston Globe in their #FreePress initiative. From major national papers to small local papers with readership as small as 4,000, they have agreed to run editorials today standing up for a press free from government intervention. The Globe’s editorial today begins:
“A central pillar of President Trump’s politics is a sustained assault on the free press. Journalists are not classified as fellow Americans, but rather “The enemy of the people.” This relentless assault on the free press has dangerous consequences. We asked editorial boards from around the country – liberal and conservative, large and small – to join us today to address this fundamental threat in their own words.”
“In 2018, some of the most damaging attacks are coming from government officials. Criticizing the news media — for underplaying or overplaying stories, for getting something wrong — is entirely right. News reporters and editors are human, and make mistakes. Correcting them is core to our job. But insisting that truths you don’t like are “fake news” is dangerous to the lifeblood of democracy. And calling journalists the “enemy of the people” is dangerous, period.”
When you click that NY Times link above, after their editorial, they have listed the newspapers who signed on to the #FreePress Initiative. As those papers publish their editorials, they are added to the Times listing.
How did we get here? From Thomas Jefferson on, our leaders find the necessity of a free press to be sacrosanct. Even Ronald Reagan, during Iran-Contra believed the press was necessary, as did Bill Clinton during his impeachment hearings — two presidents in trouble and they never tried to deny Americans the right to information. Who doesn’t believe in a free press? For starters, fascist regimes. The first thing they do when gaining power is to take over the media. Who else? Richard Nixon. Oh yeah, and the current occupant of the White House.
You can see the data on who believes the press, and who believes IN the press by reading the Ipsos survey from earlier this month. This article is their summary, but if you scroll to the bottom of the screen, you can download the full details. I’ll spare you the suspense: When asked if the news media should be shut down, even the Republicans are against it. BUT, 48% of Republicans believe that the press is “The enemy of the people”. (No one else does….) And so Trumpkin and his minions in the regime continue to blast the last chance we have of knowing what is going on to play to their ever-shrinking base.
Fight back: BUY A NEWSPAPER TODAY. I know, you haven’t done this in years. It’s easy. Go into any convenience store and there will be a rack near the front door, against the front wall: those paper things are newspapers. Buy one. You can also buy one at most supermarkets (albeit not all) or at a bookstore (again, albeit not all), or a newsstand in a train station. If you cannot find one, call me and I’ll let you know the nearest location from where you are calling. Spend the dollar: support the press. It gets harder every day for the printed press: due to those likely illegal and completely moronic tariffs, the cost of newsprint has risen 300% causing layoffs at many papers. Coincidence? I think not. So please, buy a newspaper today. If you say you can’t afford it, again, call me, and I’ll give you the dollar. Support free press. It is a major step against the encroaching fascist regime. It is an action of resistance. Do it today.
