Dear Editor:
In the past week, I have read two articles in the Tribune regarding freedom of the press. This is one of my major concerns since this past election. We have a president and a governor who appear to do what they can to prevent journalists from reporting the news.
When news is reported that does not favor these elected politicians, they call it "fake news." Fake news is not news that one doesn't especially like or with which one doesn't agree. Fake news is a report of something that never happened at all. I can defend myself against it by reading and listening to multiple news sources and getting information from established news agencies.
What can I do, though, when there is no news? What can I do when the only news I can hear is the news allowed by government officials? When this president bans journalists from press conferences, and our governor, representative, and senator publishes to Facebook or by newsletter, (which do not allow reporters to respond with questions) we, the people, are left without a reliable source of information.
I prize freedom of the press. This is a part of the Bill of Rights, and journalists are our "watchdogs for democracy." The Constitution does not preclude journalists who do not report anything other than praises to our politicians; nor are journalists required by our Constitution to first check in with PR people. The Constitution grants freedom of the press without such restrictions.
It is time for the president of the United States and the governor of Missouri to show us, the people of the United States, that they, too, value a free press. It is also time for the American people to speak up and let our politicians know that they are our servants, not our masters. We pay their salary. It is their responsibility to let us know the truth.
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