News media not the enemy

Recent claims that the media “is the enemy of the American people” should not go unchecked.

Such an accusation holds no merit.

The First Amendment ensures, among other things, freedom of the press. The founders of our nation knew the perils of a monarch clamping down on the free expression of ideas. A revolution and birth of the nation was aided by the printed word, and the continued molding of a more perfect union over 242 years has been as well.

Thomas Jefferson had a contentious relationship with the press. He didn’t always get the coverage he wanted, but he was also a man of letters and understood the importance of a press free of influence from the state.

Calling journalists “dangerous and sick” and the fruits of their labors “fake news,” sound like the cries of one who isn’t getting the coverage they desire.

Claims that journalists are enemies of the state and that their stories are fake, are accusations of intent. Speaking for the Daily Globe, there is no intent to tear down the country, its people or purposefully publish incorrect information. It seems silly to have to point that out.

There are media outlets in this great country that have points of view that permeate everything that the consumer reads, hears or sees. We can’t speak for the Mother Jones, Rush Limbaughs, MSNBCs or Fox News of the world; other than to say: Buyer beware. Just as people enjoy eating food and listening to music that makes them feel good, many people often enjoy consuming news that agrees with them.

The editorial board of the Boston Globe asked newspapers across the country to join its effort to debunk the specious idea that the media is the enemy of the American people. The Boston newspaper planned to publish an editorial today on the dangers of the administration’s assault on the press.

Many national and regional groups of newspapers, including the Michigan Press Association and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, spread the invitation among their memberships.

An online discussion of editors ensued. An editor of a downstate newspaper said he’d take a “hard pass” on the invitation, claiming any coordinated effort to battle the administration’s claim of “fake news” would simply add fuel to the President’s claim that the press is coordinated against him.

We disagree. It’s important to stand up for the good work of the media that sheds light on the news of the day. Sometimes these are happy stories, sometimes they are not. Not everyone comes across looking as good as they want to.

The Daily Globe is dedicated to serving its community in many ways. While our editorial page offers a variety of columnists across the political spectrum, our news coverage is focused on information we find to be true -- “real news” based on facts.