Since before the 2016 presidential election, issues involving fake news and journalism have been floating around the political stratosphere, mainly being proposed by one side of the aisle. President Trump has repeatedly, and fondly, referred to journalists and the media as the “enemy of the American people.” He also has referred to major media outlets, such as the New York Times and CNN, as “fake news.” Comments like these are detrimental to the already shaky relationship between the press and the government.
The current political climate’s attitudes towards the press begs the question, is freedom of the press still an unalienable right? Many Americans are adamantly against the freedom of the press. According to a series of polls conducted this year by The Boston Globe, over a quarter of Americans agreed with the statement, “the president should have the authority to close news outlets engaged in bad behavior,” with “bad behavior” being at the discretion of the president. Of those who agreed with that statement, 13 percent believe that “Trump should close down mainstream news outlets, like CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times,” according to the same series of polls.
The current administration also has a history of mocking and mistreating journalists. While on the campaign trail, Trump mocked New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski for his disability. More recently, on Oct 1 at a press conference regarding the new Canada and Mexico trade agreements, Trump attacked CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins and ABC News’ Cecilia Vega. When Vega did not immediately ask a question, Trump added that “she’s shocked that I picked her. She’s in a state of shock,” in an attempt to belittle her. To which she responded with, “I’m not. Thank you, Mr. President,” which he incorrectly heard as “I’m not thinking.” He furthered his attempt at belittling her by saying “that’s okay, I know you’re not thinking. You never do.”
Trump’s attack on Collins happened prior to her asking a question. Her question, which was in regard to Kavanaugh’s consideration for the Supreme Court, was cut off by Trump saying, “you know what. You’ve had enough. You’ve really had enough.” Obviously, these are not isolated incidents. Since the start of his presidency, Trump has attacked MSNBC anchor Mika Brzezinski, NBC journalists Megyn Kelly and Katy Tur and New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, all on the basis of gender stereotypes. While the Republican party worries that it is losing female voters, Trump’s actions show that he does not share their concern.
Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter”. Freedom of the press is a key part of our society and has been since colonial times. The general populace must stay informed and the press is integral in maintaining an aware population. At first glance, the actions and attacks of the president on journalists show a growing divide between the press and the government, but it also drives a wedge between the press and the people.
