Our country was built on the foundation of a free press and free speech. Our reporters are not perfect, but we get it right way more than we get it wrong, and when we get it wrong we do our best to correct the error. We are not “fake news.” President Trump’s attacks on TV and newspapers, the two media that do the bulk of investigative reporting in our country and hold our public officials accountable, is nothing short of shocking.
Last week Trump tweeted about the press, “They purposefully cause great division and distrust. They can also cause war! They are very dangerous and sick!” President Trump should look in the mirror. Day in and day out his words and actions are designed to create division and distrust. We are very dangerous and very sick? Sounds divisive to us.
Our newspapers and our reporters aren’t in the national spotlight, but your continued attacks on the press undermine all journalists and all media companies. Our newspapers, our reporters, and journalists across the country do their best to report the news as fairly and accurately as possible. Where would we be if we had to rely on unchecked and unedited Facebook posts or tweets for our news?
This month, our newspapers and newspapers across the country, at the urging of the Boston Globe editorial page, are speaking up to defend our work and integrity against the nonstop assault and insults voiced by the president. President Trump just revoked the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan because he publicly disagreed with Trump, and even more remarkable, the president tweeted that he took this step because Brennan supported the independent Mueller investigation. Free speech? Freedom of the press? Where does it end?
Our Founding Fathers envisioned a society with a free press and the free flow of information as critical to the functioning of a democratic society. Our local newspapers rarely wade into national politics but Trump’s attacks affect all of us — they are nothing short of attacks on the fabric of the United States. We ask you to keep supporting us and, whatever your politics or political leanings, recognize that the press continues to play an important role in disseminating accurate information and defending the laws and ideals of our nation, and yes, our local communities.