“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Those words are from the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. I’d like to hone in on the word “press.” I was taught in journalism school that this mention in the Constitution provides me not only with a special privilege not granted to other professions, but also an awesomely heavy responsibility to the people of this country. No, I didn’t take an oath like doctors, but I’m charged, nonetheless, to uphold a standard of excellence.
Last week I wrote about how the climate regarding media continues to worsen in this country, and how that climate of negativity is acceptable to so many simply because they don’t understand the role of media in this country, or don’t like a particular angle of an article. Disagreeing with an article doesn’t mean the institution of journalism is bad, but that’s where we are today.
Now the current administration has taken America’s ever-present disdain for the media even further. It’s not just a dislike for the tone or angle, but also a dislike of questions in general. Reporters are supposed to ask tough questions. Asking a tough question doesn’t mean there’s a bias. I’m of the mindset that you should be able to defend your position, and if you made a decision (right or wrong), own it. I know that type of accountability is unheard of anymore — or so it seems. Maybe it’s from years of experience where editors forced me to go back and ask those “tough” questions that’s hardened me to the whining. Journalists can’t force a source to answer a question. A source can always decline to answer a question, but it’s not our job to determine whether that person will answer the question or not. So we ask. And, it’s not a journalist’s job to make friends with sources or make someone look good. Our job is to report the facts, and the facts aren’t always pretty.
While our founding fathers didn’t get everything right with regard to the Constitution (e.g. slavery, the vote), they did understand the importance of a free press — a press that isn’t run by government officials or beholden to government. The framers of the Constitution understood a press free from government control helps prevent tyranny and stops possible dictators in their tracks. Countries still exist where the press is an arm of the government. It’s highly unlikely the media in those countries breaks stories uncovering government corruption. It’s not unheard of for a journalist in other countries to go underground in fear of his or her life.
Just think about how many governmental scandals the press has exposed or how many investigative articles have led to changes in legislation or policies. The very best journalism is journalism that changes our country for the better. We can’t do that if reporters are afraid to ask tough questions or write the ugly truth.
Last week CNN’s Jim Acosta won his battle to get his press badge back. Since our current administration isn’t known for taking an L too well, there’s now talk of the White House changing rules for reporters as well as revoking his pass once again when the judge’s order expires. Americans should be in an uproar instead of applauding this ridiculous action. I hate to break it to the president, but he isn’t above the law — and journalists have the law of the land on our side.
