Since the election, I have feared the mainstream press would collapse under the weight of Trump’s endless onslaught. Instead, it has dug in its heels and held its ground. It could have normalized our aberrant new political order, accepting the presidential campaign as a variation on a standard political theme, treating Trump’s continual lies and outrages as the growing pains of an eccentric newbie trying to learn how to be president, acting like his agenda fits neatly under the headline, “Elections have consequences.” But it hasn’t. From the New York Times, to the Washington Post, to papers in other major cities, to the Associated Press which supplies most of the national stories in the Star, to principled conservative writers who are horrified at what they’re witnessing, journalists have striven to show the reading public how unusual, how outlandish our present situation really is. CNN, to my surprise, has responded to constant Trumpian attacks by stepping up its coverage of the White House, and MSNBC, especially in its evening shows, has zeroed in on the day’s events and spotlighted why we need to remain concerned and vigilant. Even Fox has spoken occasional truth to power.
In much of the daily news and in many magazines, truth telling is trumping Trumpism. Facts are still facts, and diligent, whip-smart investigative journalists are digging to see what facts they can uncover beneath the facts we already know. It’s not a perfect process. It’s flawed, messy and many-headed. But that’s what unfettered journalism is all about, and it’s what authoritarian leaders hate and fear, and do everything they can to suppress.
Our free press could forfeit its effectiveness in a number ways, to our peril. Possibly the most dangerous is self censorship, where a reporter, a columnist or an editor decides an honest story is too dangerous to print because it may offend an advertiser or a community leader or a powerful politician. Another possibility is that a story based on poor sourcing or incorrect assumptions is printed, proven wrong and used as a bludgeon against the “lying press” and its “fake news.” The offending news source may cower in the wake of its mistake (think of the fallout from Dan Rather’s flawed 60 Minutes story on Bush’s military record). Worse, other news agencies may watch the bludgeoning and grow overly cautious, backing away from an important story for fear it contains an unseen flaw and they will suffer similar humiliation and repudiation. A third possibility, which Trump and his enablers push on a daily basis, is that factual stories will be ignored by a growing segment the public as Fake News, that they will agree with Trump’s tweet calling the press an “enemy of the American people.” The final worry is that somehow the government will find a way to censor the press outright, making it illegal to tell a truth the people in power don’t want anyone to hear. If that happens, our democracy is doomed.
Whatever benevolent powers are out there watching over us, bless, keep and protect our free press so it helps us preserve and protect our rights and our freedom.
This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2017.
Just like the freedom of information act wanted to censor Limbaugh.
4 more years !! 4 more years!!
If you truly fact-check your stories, there’s no need to feat “fake news.” Yeah, like that’s going to happen.
Oops, that should be “fear.”
Hey David, did you notice that in the first online version of Tim Steller’s piece, “Attempts to fire Superintendent roil TUSD,” Steller expressed, in passing, his personal opinion that Sanchez should not retain his job? Then, a day or so after the piece originally appeared, the Star noted it had been “updated” and that opinion was no longer in the piece. It had been edited out.
You expressed your opinion in one of your recent blogs here in TW that Sanchez should remain Superintendent, and your opinion was allowed to stand in this publication. But Steller’s opinion was erased from the Star. Who erased it, and why?
Is Steller less entitled to an opinion — or to expressing it — than you are? Is this a sinister local example of what you refer to in this blog, the press “forfeit[ing] its effectiveness […] to our peril. Possibly the most dangerous is self censorship, where a reporter, a columnist or an editor decides an honest story is too dangerous to print because it may offend an advertiser or a community leader or a powerful politician.”
I believe it is, and I’ve seen plenty of it since I started following the Star’s battered and beleaguered attempts to provide anything resembling honest and complete coverage of the largest local school district in a context where the district’s agents constantly try to undermine and trash talk their reporting. (What happened to Alexis Huicochea David? Why is she no longer covering TUSD?)
Here’s my humble opinion, David: if there are in fact “benevolent powers are out there watching over us,” I don’t think they like you and your friends very much. Another commenter penned this apt remark on another of TW’s BS TUSD stories, but it applies to the subject of this blog, media manipulations, as well: “I’m sorry Foster/Grijalva machine. we pretty much know exactly what you do. And many of us want you to stop it.”
Does that even apply to the likes of Milo Yiannopoulos — the senior editor of Breitbart News — whose book “Dangerous” was just cancelled by Simon & Schuster and its Threshold Editions publishers?
Censorship in any form is a slippery slope that diminishes our individual and collective rights and freedom. We may not like what others say or write, but as Americans we must defend their rights. To do otherwise is to give in to those who would take away the rights of all.
Seems to me that “You and your friends” misses a crucial fact: David is a columnist; Tim is reporter.
Columnists produce opionion-based writing; reporters report facts and any personal opinions should be edited out.
It seems that the MSM thinks that their opinion is the news, and that an opinion they don’t like is racist / sexist / homophobic and news they don’t like is fake news. So much hysteria over so little.
Tim Steller’s “Political Notebook” columns — the series in which the TUSD Superintendent piece occurred — are opinion journalism. He regularly offers both facts and opinions on a wide variety of topics, from whether McSally should hold a town hall to whether LaWall should face Feinman in a debate (note the consistency across the partisan spectrum: in general, Steller does better with that than Safier has ever done).
Most of Steller’s OPINIONS have not been edited out of his columns. But his opinion about the TUSD Superintendent needing to be fired was. Those who follow TUSD and communicate now and then with the Star are well aware that representatives of TUSD are regularly badgering reporters and editors at the newspaper to modify their content to present a more positive image of the district. It seems to many who follow the Star’s coverage and TUSD’s responses to it that TUSD wants the local media to act as an agent in their effort to mislead the public about the extent of the district’s problems and the quality of the district’s administrative leadership.
Both the assertion that Steller’s opinion should have remained in his Star piece and the concluding remark in the above comment “2nd Thoughts” criticizes stand: when TUSD or any other interest group succeeds in manipulating the local press and modifying coverage to suit their preferences, they undermine the kind of valid information delivery that keeps a democracy healthy. Those who understand what’s going on want them to stop it. If Safier had any genuine commitment to honest journalism and a free press he would stand up to them on issues like this. But he doesn’t, so he won’t.
The press shouldn’t have the freedom to report fake news . That is report things without evidence to back their claims . They know they are lying and nobody can do anything about it at least for now. Please report facts backed with evidence . In other words stop reporting lies that lead to us going into wars and spreading lies that divide our country . Our president wants to unite this country but the press would love to see it destroyed so that they can report a “good” story .
New York Times, to the Washington Post & CNN all lost their credibility because they were biased toward Hillary and REFUSED to cover all the Bernie gatherings and it took an English news paper to expose that fact that Hillary was photoshopping her crowds. All of your polls were SOOO off because you live in a bubble and left US with the erroneous fact that Hillary was winning by a WAY MAJORITY!
On Immigration you only cover sappy news like, “The Poor Illegal Alien got caught and had to go back to his own country and come in like the law abiding citizens”. You never covered the loss of jobs taken by 8.5 MILLION people who weren’t supposed to be here. You never covered the cost to the rest of the tax payers for Social Services, education, housing, and Medical care for a bunch of people who LOWERED US wages so much that they couldn’t live on the wages of the jobs they STOLE!
In short you made the same mistake the Democratic Party made, your constituency became FOREIGNERS instead of the Blue Collar and White Collar works and you paid for it.
No one voted FOR TRUMP – they voted AGAINST YOU, THE MEDIA and the FIXED Democratic Party that called all US workers “LAZY – That’s why they lost their jobs”. You never covered their sappy stories! This is what the support of the Invasion of poverty and ignorance caused:
THIS IS WHAT THE POWER OF THE PRESS ACCOMPLISHED!
60% of Households Now Receive More in Subsidized Income Than They Pay in Taxes – REDISTRIBUTION OF INCOME! And all of the money is STILL at the top where Hillary lives!
http://taxfoundation.org/blog/60-percent-h…
The people voted for a cleaner to come in and FIX the mess. If this CLEANER doesn’t, there will be blood in the streets so get your cameras out and for crying out loud PLEASE brush up on your math and take a good look at the economic changes in this country in the last 30 years since the REAGAN’s Amnesty!
For a different viewpoint (press as servants of their oligarchic masters), see Ian Welsh:
http://www.ianwelsh.net/the-press-is-trump…
And for two counterexamples:
Remember Jesse Bohon, the Christian HS French teacher who got up and said (to enormous applause and the clip going viral) “Why don’t we expand Medicaid and have everybody have insurance?” Except you won’t find that key quote CNN’s coverage:
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/10/politics…
And here’s Matt Taibbi, describing how a semi-positive Bernie Sanders story in the NYT was edited to be anything but:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/…
Or, as Matt said: “This is, after all, the New York Times, which has practically been an official mouthpiece for the Clinton campaign this election season.”
Thank goodness the media keeps pointing out Trump’s blatant lies. If “uniting” the country requires that we all drink the cool aid, then no thanks.
The main stream media needs to get their heads out of there asses and go back to when they reported the news with facts not opinions. Its not the Medias place to be ether far left or far right nor indorsing any candidate, but in the middle reporting both sides of the news and let the people decide whats right or wrong.
Tucson would be better off if Safier would take his dishonest commentary (together with the inherited wealth he married) and move back to Portland.
This town doesn’t need more politically motivated lies and it doesn’t need more money fed into its corrupt political networks.
His whole sad, shabby, mendacious act — from writing in a way that gives the impression he was a run-of-the-mill teacher living from paycheck to paycheck during his working years to feigning outrage at the sort of “lying” he so easily excuses when it comes out of a Sanchez or a Grijalva mouth — is beneath contempt.
There are a lot of people locally, David — more every day, as your transparent BS shows itself for what it is even to those not so quick on the uptake — who know exactly what you’re peddling and give it the credence it deserves: NONE. That’s the reputation you’ve earned for yourself among people who know what HONESTY is.
If there are indeed “benevolent powers watching over us,” perhaps you should expect the reward described in the story of the rich man who, during his lifetime, ignored the beggar Lazarus outside his gate, just as you ignored every call for you to use your platform here to produce HONEST commentary:
“22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.[a] The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us. 27 And he said, Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house 28 for I have five brothersso that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 But Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. 31 He said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.
I TOO AM CONCERNED WITH GETTING FACTUAL INFORMATION. THE PRESS IS WANTED AND OUR CONSTITUTION PROTECTS THOSE RIGHTS. IT IS SO UNAMERICAN THAT THOSE THAT BLOW IT OFF, THEY ARE GIVING THOSE RIGHTS AWAY. THERE ARE THOSE THAT FOUGHT FOR THOSE FREEDOMS, AND A PRESS TO HOLD OUR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE. I DID WATCH THE CABINETT HEARINGS, I FOUND THAT REPRESENTATIVE PRICE (R) IS A CROOK. HE TOOK PRIVATE STOCK AT A LOWER PRICE FROM A COMPANY, ONLY HE COULD ACCEPT, AND BOUGHT MORE STOCK, THEN PASSED LEGISLATION FOR THE COMPANY THAT GAVE HIM STOCK. I ALSO FOUND OUT, THAT IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT THEY MADE A RULE TO DO INSIDER TRADING. WE ARE SCREWED FOLKS. WE HAVE THE BIGGEST SCAM ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. SO, BLOW OFF THE PRESS, NEWS, AND GO TO THE RUSSIAN NEWS NETWORK. THROW AWAY YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. WE NEED TO HOLD OUR POLITICIANS ACCOUNTABLE. START WITH MCSALLY, I WAS ON A CONFERENCE CALL WITH HER AND SHE LIED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THE CONFERENCE CALL WAS A JOKE.
FOR THE FOOLS THAT VOTED FOR TRUMP, MOST OF HIS CABINET MEMBERS ARE FROM WALL STREET. GET READY FOR ANOTHER RECESSION, HOPEFULLY NOT A DEPRESSION. THE STOCKS ARE BLOATED, AND THE WIND IS GOING TO DEFLATE THE BALLOON. I DO NOT SUGGEST ANYONE BUY STOCK, ESPECIALLY WHEN A LAW WAS MADE THAT YOUR STOCK ADVISOR IS NO LONGER ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS ACTIONS. LOL IF YOU DO INVEST, CALL MCSALLY, SHE COULD GIVE YOU SOME INSIDER TRADING STOCK TIPS.
Just checked the Star’s website and here’s Steller’s Feb. 16 column (implies opinion):
“To be clear, it isnt that the board shouldnt consider firing the superintendent I tend to favor replacing him but Sedgwicks Monday demand that it be put on the agenda Tuesday was a precipitous move that reminded me of the Highwire incident.”
If you don’t like either Steller nor Safier’s writing, don’t read them or start your own newspaper. It’s still a semi free country, although with Trump you never know if Putin’s methods of suppressing dissent will be used. Charging critical newspapers with corruption, or sodomy, fraud or insulting the King, or having no license, are all methods autocrats including Putin have used.
Francine. Follow your own advice. Don’t like things, leave.