Nation needs media as check on leaders
The freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments.
– George Mason
Since the office of president of the United States came into existence, the holders of that lofty post have faced scrutiny and criticism from our constitutionally protected free press. Most of them accepted it as part of the job, however much they might have railed against the slings and arrows from the news media.
There were a few exceptions. Those of a certain age will remember President Richard Nixon conducting an all-out war with the press. Of course, he was revealed to be a crook and a liar.
Which brings us to the current occupant of the White House, President Donald Trump.
Trump seems to make a point of referring to the “lying media” or “fake media” at most of his public appearances. This is a man who does not like to be contradicted or corrected, so it’s not surprising if a news network or a newspaper fails to toe the Trump line, it will be labeled untruthful. And it appears Trump’s supporters are more than happy to ignore his transgressions against the truth and join him in full-throated attacks on the media.
The president’s backers ignore the fact he has a more strained relationship with the truth than any world leader in memory, at least those outside communist regimes and brutal dictatorships around the globe. A piece by Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post earlier this week noted, “Donald Trump has been president for all or part of 33 days. He has averaged four falsehoods or misleading statements a day in that time. There hasn’t been a single day of Trump’s presidency in which he has said nothing false or misleading.”
But the president took his war on the news media to a new low last week when he blurted on Twitter, “The FAKE NEWS media … is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people!”
That is not just foolish. It is despicable.
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, appearing Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” expressed dismay over the president’s latest attack on the media, saying, “If you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free – and many times adversarial – press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time – that’s how dictators get started.”
Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” a show that would be expected to be friendly toward a Republican administration. Priebus attempted to massage and defend the president’s remarks, but Fox News anchor Chris Wallace would have none of it. “You don’t get to tell us what to do, Reince,” said Wallace. “You don’t get to tell us what to do any more than Barack Obama did. Barack Obama whined about Fox News all the time, but I’ve got to say, he never said we were an enemy of the people.”
For the record, this is not a “fake editorial.” Our concerns about President Trump and his attacks on the news media are very real, and they should be shared by every American who believes our elected officials – from township supervisors to the occupant of the White House – should be held accountable for their words and deeds.
The media plays a critical role in discerning truth from fiction, and in making sure the American public is informed about what truly is going on in the halls of government. It is frightening to think about the prospect of an America in which the media is distrusted by the masses and the only fount of truth is believed to be the person residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
As Voltaire said, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”