You can’t mess with the press

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.