To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, those who give up liberty for security deserve neither and will get neither.
In the wake of his recent attacks on journalists, President Donald Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, barred journalists from The New York Times and other news outlets from his daily briefing Feb. 24.
I expected a backlash of Watergate-level proportions, yet the reaction of many has simply been apathy. The only people I see caring about this breach of constitutional protocol are those in opposition of the president.
People in the journalism profession, political activists and those who appreciate news outlets like the Times are the only ones I see who are rightfully concerned.
This is curious to me. Why isn’t everybody upset? I don’t care about where someone is on the political spectrum, or who they voted for. I don’t care if someone thinks all journalists are abject liars. What I care about is the sanctity of freedom, as should anyone else who identifies themselves as a patriot.
The U.S. has never been perfect. Our country has been stained by blood in the name of freedom, from people of all walks of life. Whether someone’s ancestors died in battle, under oppression or comfortably in their beds is only circumstantial.
The point is: freedom, even just the concept of it, should be protected by any means.
The first amendment in the Bill of Rights says our government may not “infringe on the freedom of the press.” This fundamental rule of liberty has been in good standing since the birth of our nation, and I believe taking it away this right will bring the death of it. Maybe not in a literal sense, but surely in principle.
Enlightened news outlets have become the target of the most powerful man in America.
A man whose only experience in government regulations comes in the form of swindling the Internal Revenue Service out of millions of dollars has called into question the ethical nature of journalists who dare disagree with him.
This is not the America I was raised to believe in, so I find it perplexing that so many others have no quarrel with being robbed of their rights — not just the rights of the press, but everyone’s rights.
When entire news institutions are no longer free to tell the truth while using valid evidence to support their claims, I would be willing to bet individuals wouldn’t be able to either.
I don’t hold President Trump solely responsible for the demonization of journalism either, but he definitely isn’t making it any easier though.
There are a lot of people who have very little faith in the news because of the times we’re living in. Many news sources have to be based on what sells, rather then what is important. I see more about the Kardashians on a daily basis than what is happening with the pipeline in North Dakota.
As a student, I still have so much to learn about what it takes to be a good journalist. However, being a good journalist doesn’t seem to be what’s important anymore.
Andrew Ward can be reached at [email protected]