I am sick of the phrase “fake news” and the way it is tossed around so cavalierly by the current administration. It makes it impossible to tell what is real and what they simply do not want you to know.

Free press functions due to a system of give and receive. The reporters rely on administration and press secretaries to deliver accurate situational depictions and credible statistics and facts. The administration then must trust the press to use that information in a way that will accurately and without bias convey the situation to the public. However, the President and his staff have picked a cyclical fight with major news sources. Due to rising allegations of fake news and bias, the administration treats the press with hostility. The press attempts to convey that hostility to the public, and then the press staff is able to use those articles as evidence towards biased, harsh reporting. Thus, they treat the press with further contempt and scorn, and the cycle continues.  Communication is crucial in order for democracy to function.

The electorate deserve to be informed about all levels of their government so that they can effectively vote or petition. A major vehicle for that communication is the press. News sources need access to information about legislation, executive orders, foreign relations and whatever else is going on in our government to paint an honest picture of the current political climate. My national news sources are companies like CNN, NBC, the New York Times and the Huffington Post, all deemed reliable and respectable publications. Never before have I seen denial on this scale, where even these sources are restricted from full knowledge of what goes on behind the closed White House doors.

Once the press is incapable of drawing away the curtain for the public, the Trump administration is using a bread and circus tactic to get away with dangerous measures. They are distracting the American public with flashy, sudden and detrimental executive orders in order to further push their agenda in the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the press always one step behind. If you need to distract, you probably have something to hide.

We need to pay attention to what is going on at every level of our government, but access to information is crucial. Coverage of the House and the Senate has always been inconsistent due to an often lack of packageable marketing, but never due to the distracting, unprecedented shenanigans of the electoral branch. We cannot rely on catchy hashtags like #ShePersisted to draw our attention the rest of government; they are actively creating legislation that insidiously affects our country.

The New York Times recently released a short, 30-second advertisement featuring a plain white background and several statements rapid-fire statements starting with “the truth is,” the last one being “the truth is now more important than ever.”

Restricting the press restricts the human right to be informed and to then act based on that information. It is not the first time the truth has been restricted in America, nor will it be the last, but it currently is a topical source of public controversy.

Journalism has always been a controversial profession, and it is up to everyone to ensure we face active obstacles to the truth with staunch resolve.

President Trump signed an order that banned immigrants  from seven Middle Eastern countries on Jan. 27. The speed at which people were affected by the executive order was halting and sickeningly rapid. American citizens who were in the air when the order was signed suddenly were denied access into the country when they touched the ground.

From our own ground level, it seems that we can’t stop these executive orders from happening. The will of the executive branch is so far removed from the pleas and needs of so many American citizens. But the reaction is just as important as the action itself. While Trump may be able to place gag rules on the other two branches, he cannot stifle the electorate.

Here’s how we know: The outrage over the entry-ban has been visceral and protest followed almost as soon as the effects began.. When the news of the detainees was spread online, demonstrations erupted. There was fear that after the Women’s March, people would lose the desire to mobilize, to participate. This fear proved to be false as hundreds gathered outside major airports such as JFK and Dulles to publicly advocate for detained Middle Eastern Americans. In Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh and Senator Elizabeth Warren joined crowds in Logan Airport, and a large-scale protest in Copley Square on Jan 29, which local news sources credited to the Council on American-Islamic Relations with its organization. These actions–duct-taping a ruler to a poster board to make a sign and chanting on a crowded street–are beginning to feel natural, habitual.

This second wave of protest is indication that many Americans have developed a reflexive instinct to combat the horrors slinking out of the White House. The publicity that these protests garner make it impossible for the administration to ignore them, or at least look idiotic while trying–I’m thinking about the photographic evidence that made it impossible to claim that the inauguration drew a larger crowd than the Women’s March on Washington. Though they may try, they cannot dispute the existence of thousands of protesters.

Though the positive effects of this new, immediate resistance are proudly noted, it is duly important to analyze where they are lacking. For example, police cooperation and support have helped these protests remain peaceful. Writer Jia Tolentino noted that the atmosphere created by police was noticeably different than, say, a Black Lives Matter protest, where they may show up in higher numbers and with more protective gear due to racial bias and prejudices. Though the marches have been diverse, White, cisgendered women have been given an elevated platform, leading many to forget inclusivity. Even within these new eruptions of activism, there is still systematic racism. It is crucial moving forward that White protesters realize their privileges, even in a space as radical and seemingly inclusive as a march.

The fire is being harnessed; action is being met with action. These demonstrations, which feel far more American to me than any legislation passed this month in Washington, are hopefully the first steps in a new era of grassroots change.