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News organizations participating in nationwide effort to push back against Trump's criticism of media
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 08/16/2018 11:41:53
- In: Freedom of the press
Today is the day news organizations across the country are publishing editorials informing the dangers of Trump's assault on the media and promoting the importance of a free press. As The New York Times reported Tuesday, more than 200 newspapers, including The Times, are participating in this coordinated effort, which was initiated last week by Marjorie Pritchard, deputy editorial page editor at The Boston Globe.
"We're not the enemy of the people," Pritchard said, as quoted by The Times. "We thought that a coordinated effort across the country would make a powerful statement about the importance of a free press."
We hope your newsroom has joined the effort. If you are participating but have not been in touch with Pritchard, please send her an email at marjorie.pritchard@globe.com and let her know.
As said by our partner and funder the Charles Koch Foundation,
"[Trump's] threats are a danger to free speech. Thomas Jefferson once quipped that he'd rather have newspapers without a government than a government without newspapers. He changed his mind, however, after the presidential campaign of 1800, when he endured the scrutiny of the press. Politicians from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton to Donald Trump have complained about the media, which means the press is doing its job. Journalists are watchdogs-not cheerleaders. They ignite dialogue on essential issues. They share the truths that powerful people would rather conceal. They are the force that holds our leaders accountable for their actions.
"When our leaders threaten journalists, they are threatening the First Amendment, along with our most basic rights. 'Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press,' said Jefferson, 'and that cannot be limited without being lost.'"