A Deafening Silence.

An attempt is being made to silence the media here in America.

What was meant to be a democracy, for the people, by the people, and of the people, has gone down quite a different path of late. There are few checks and balances remaining in the US government, policies put in place specifically to serve and protect the rights of its citizens and the freedom of press to report whatever is happening in the governing body to its people. The free press has been a cornerstone to democracy for generations, and until very recently was trusted to report the truth and ensure honesty and transparency in the government.

It begins with small remarks and gestures. Slight disrespect by political leaders toward the press that all too soon develops into all-out attacks by government on the media. What happens when leaders are allowed to criticize and condemn journalists? Those who follow by example will also begin to disrespect and disbelieve this media put in place to act as a go-between for leaders and their constituents, possibly even making dangerous situations for journalists in the process. The term “fake news” will be coined to describe anything that doesn’t fit with their carefully composed rhetoric. Who benefits from this? If the media cannot be trusted to tell the truth, if everything they write or report is deemed fake, how does anyone get information, true or untrue?

Just the other day, I came across an article about an American journalist who’s been missing in Syria for 6 years. His family has never given up hope for his safe return, even though they have no evidence or reason to believe he’s still alive. While reading this story, I was led to other articles that spoke of the many missing journalists around the world, 60 of whom have not been confirmed dead between the years of 1992-2018. 120 have been confirmed dead. More people need to be concerned about this.

The news media in recent years has taken on a sensationalist slant; this cannot be denied. However, the right of the fourth estate to report the news simply must not be taken away. Those who think it’s silly to fear this fate are encouraged to remember that many other places where this has happened probably didn’t expect it either. As their governments slid into dictatorships and the people were no longer allowed to have opinions different from their leaders, who could have seen that coming? It’s a slow change, over time. Certain policies overturned, rights taken away, words and actions once considered abhorrent gradually becoming normalized. This doesn’t happen overnight.

Today America stands in solidarity of its right to free speech. The ability to unify is perhaps its greatest strength as a nation, and any government that would seek to hinder that ability must be questioned relentlessly. WHY would anyone seek to silence the media? How can America survive and function as one of the super powers of the world without the journalists who investigate and write and share the truth with its people?

This and many other questions need to be asked in order to try and understand this agenda to silence the press. Personally attacking individuals for doing their jobs is unnecessary, and there should be consequences for these actions. The government is meant to answer to its people, and its people have a lot of questions left to ask.

So America and the press will continue to stand and fight for the right to free speech and free press, the ability to access and share truth, today and every day. Not only for the citizens and the future of this country, but also for the many journalists who have lost their freedom and even their lives in the attempt to uncover and share the truth. Their sacrifices have not gone entirely unnoticed.

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