When will it stop? The last few years have seen an unprecedented attack against the freedom of the press and those that tirelessly work to protect our freedoms.
Known as the Fourth Estate, the press has the essential responsibility to inform the populace of the functionality of its democracy. Our Founding Fathers knew the importance of a free press when they established the First Amendment.
In 2018, high ranking members of our government (all branches) now attack and condemn the free press and journalists who play such a vital role in our democracy. Journalists are called “liars,” and their work sullied by the label “fake news” by politicians who don’t agree with them. Our government enacts punitive tariffs that threaten the future of many newspapers. Journalists now face the most imposing landscape and most perilous career path than at any time in the history of this nation.
In October 1996, Fox News entered the 24-hour cable news business. In an attempt to differentiate itself from its competitors, it hired GOP media consultant Roger Ailes to run the network. Fox News figured if it were to base its programming from the conservative viewpoint, it could potentially capture 50 percent of the viewership. CNN countered by moving its programming to a more liberal viewpoint, and broadcast journalism started to die. The war for ratings and advertising dollars in a vicious 24 hours news cycle turned these powerful networks into entertainment companies, not news outlets. They have more in common with Howard Stern than they do with Walter Cronkite. Fueled by corporate greed, many other media outlets have dropped the ethics of unbiased reporting and followed a similar path.
At the same time, the emergence of social media has enabled everyone to say anything they want without fear of repercussion. Instead of working together to solve society’s problems, we choose to hide behind digital identities and fight with anyone who has a viewpoint different from ours. We are no different than our politicians, shouting at anyone and everyone who doesn’t agree with us. As a society, we have lost our ability to peacefully disagree and find common ground to work toward a solution. We have been polarized into right and left.
Additionally, social media is flooded with posts that are created to intentionally deceive the public. Social media is flooded with “fake news” most people cannot discern as fake.
All of this has turned the country into a political powder keg.
Bipartisan testimony of 20 Congressional members last month before the International Trade Commission in opposition to tariffs on Canadian imported newsprint is a good indicator that not all our government leaders are attacking newspapers. They fought to cut or eliminate tariffs that are driving the cost of newsprint and financially squeezing newspapers across the country. These people know the importance of community newspapers. They know those who work at the local paper are not the enemy.
In today’s society, where the “wicked media” is hurled relentlessly on Twitter or cable news channels, real journalists get amalgamated into a cynical act of political theater.
We as a nation are beginning to give a collective shoulder shrug to the fundamental freedoms in the Bill of Rights. In a Quinnipac University poll released on Aug. 14, 26 percent of voters polled said the news media is the “enemy of the people.” Fifty-one percent of Republican voters said the news media is the “enemy of the people” rather than an important part of democracy.
These are dangerous times. We have to support our local journalism and the vital role it plays, even when we disagree with what is reported. Support your local newspaper, buy a print or digital subscription. When you disagree, share your opinion civilly. Change the discussion taking place in our country.
If we’re unwilling to accept news that upsets us, or if we’re indifferent to differing views simply because we don’t want to deal with them, we’re essentially giving up on the notion we can ever truly be “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Brian Allfrey is Executive Director of the Utah Press Association. His email address is ballfrey@utahpress.com.
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