Preserving a Free Press
In the First Amendment, the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.
Thus, wrote Justice Hugo Black in June 1971 in the Supreme Court’s majority opinion that protected the right of the New York Times to expose the contents of The Pentagon Papers. His words define the paramount role of the press, which is to inform the electorate. To be sure, Richard Nixon was kept in check by unflattering reports that were his undoing. In recent years, President Obama whined about Fox News and President Trump calls CNN “fake news.”
Mr. Trump is wrong to encourage his supporters’ hatred of the press. Journalists are not enemies of we the people, especially when a change president (Trump) needs robust opposition from a free press. I did not vote for Trump to stop what IS working (Russian sanctions) or implement bad ideas (separating parents and their children on the Mexican border). It is not enough to just hear Trump’s self-serving side of the story.
I am not suggesting all is right with our mainstream media, because they routinely lack an open mind to Trump' ideas (e.g. Kim summit). Even worse, they are too often found to be dishonest (e.g. Time reporter’s false claim that Trump had removed MLK bust from the Oval Office). A media outlet with First Amendment protection has a moral obligation to ensure non-partisan transparency from a government for the people and honestly inform the electorate for a government of the people. Freedom and liberty have always traveled a two-way street in America, but this is now lost upon today’s echo-chamber news organizations (Rush Limbaugh has a far-right audience, and MSNBC has a far-left audience).
I remember the turbulent sixties for its free and trustworthy press. CBS anchor Walter Cronkite reported critically on a Democrat’s (President Johnson) handling of the Vietnam War, and NBC late night host Johnny Carson cracked satirically on a Republican’s (President Nixon) problems with the press. However, I don’t remember Walter Cronkite’s reporting or Johnny Carson’s monologues igniting ordinary folks to screaming at them. Furthermore, America made progress, creating the EPA and winding down US involvement in Vietnam.
In comparison, CNN’s Jim Acosta expressed outrage and disbelief when met by derisive chants at a Trump rally: “Honestly, it felt like we weren’t in America anymore.” I am calling BS on Mr. Acosta, who knows the mainstream media operates as if it is completely American to chant derisively. That is ABC/ESPN glorifying the Cameron Crazies for chanting “go to hell, Carolina” – and where is CNN’s outrage when Antifa protestors chant “Trump is a fascist” in front of the White House?
Jim Acosta should know his partisan and personal attacks on Trump are fair game for first-amendment-protected tweets and rally-goer chants of “CNN sucks,” but that was Acosta lecturing Sarah Huckabee Sanders at a White House press conference: “It would be a good thing if you were to say the press is not the enemy of the people.” Ms. Sanders was quick to utilize her 1st Amendment right:
“It is ironic you attack the president for his rhetoric, when [the media] frequently lower the conversation in this country. Repeatedly, the media resorts to personal attacks without any content other than to incite anger. You [the White House correspondents] brought a comedienne up to attack my appearance and call me a traitor to my own gender. As far as I know, I am the first press secretary in the history of the United States that has required Secret Service protection.”
Everything Sanders said was truthful, but Acosta called her comments “shameful.” To be sure, Jim Acosta is certainly no reason to oppose a free press, and I am certain the 1st Amendment will survive both Jim Acosta and Donald Trump. However, the quality of American journalism might not. The courts should re-consider the rights of any partisan echo-chamber news outlet, which trades gifts to encourage illegal leaks of classified information or publishes stories it knows to be false.
CNN stood by a report this week that its “anonymous” source (Lanny Davis) has admitted was false. Lanny Davis's client (Michael Cohen) is central to the Mueller investigation and Cohen has testified under oath to Congress he did NOT know if the President knew about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between campaign officials and Russians. Mind you, Lanny Davis has confirmed he was the leaker and the leak was a false claim. At least the Washington Post has now corrected its original story: “The information in the Post story, which was attributed to one person familiar with discussions among Cohen’s friends, came from Davis, who has now acknowledged his role on the record.” I ask you, how is CNN serving an informed electorate?
Let’s return to Justice Black’s words: The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. There is no way the Supreme Court would have ruled in favor of Pravda, if the Russian newspaper had published The Pentagon Papers during the cold war - and so I wonder how a Roberts court would view a partisan news organization’s collusion with like-minded deep state leakers and stories with patently false information. Does a reporter with an agenda really serve the governed?
I am convinced today's partisan bias and personal attacks divert attention from issues that need bipartisan solutions. Right now, immigration (legal and illegal) is an important issue where a free and trustworthy press could help. Consider National Public Radio (NPR), which continually reports the “conservative” argument for immigration: US agricultural and hospitality industries want immigrants to meet labor demands - and fired a black employee (Juan Williams) for overt racism, when he publicly admitted he was frightened by bearded Muslims on his airplane. Americans deserve better than the current intellectual food fight, which is no substitute for reporting a 360-degree view of the issue. This is on my mind today.
The full monthly blog publishes tomorrow (Sunday) at 5:00PM.