Quashing the Free Press: Not a Good Idea

Neil Foote, President & Founder, Foote CommunicationsAfter a recent presentation on journalism and the First Amendment, one of the high students asked me a question, “Do you consider yourself a yellow journalist or a muckraker?” I paused for a moment to make sure I answer the young man’s question carefully.   “I am a muckraker,” I said proudly. “My job as a journalist is to ask questions, ask more questions and seek out answers to get to the facts, then report them to readers.” When the President of the United States, for the first time in history, barred several media outlets (The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, CNN and the BBC), from its daily press briefings, than we all have a problem.Our nation’s president has decided to declare war on the press, calling us the press the “opposition” because it does not always write glowing, flowery praise about his actions and demeanor as the representative of democracy for the world. President Richard Nixon and several other presidents have tried to circumvent media to control their message. As Trump pointed out in his recent speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, the media is dishonest and many of these large media companies “have their own agenda and it’s not your agenda and it’s not the country’s agenda, it’s their own agenda.”The president is correct: The First Amendment grants all of us the right to speak our minds freely. What this means is that we all have the right to say what we believe – even though we may not agree with it. The press has a higher obligation. Everyday, every journalist is reminded that his or her actions will be held accountable.  Sure, there are some journalists who are willing to pay sources or buy illegally obtained photos or even hack voicemails.  The use of anonymous sources has been a practice that all news organization have struggled with, and seriously try to avoid this tactic at all costs. If there are numerous anonymous sources inside the White House or other agencies who have corroborated information that have a direct impact on the policies and practices of the president or the nation, the American people have a right to know.I can tell you as a former journalist at the Miami Herald and the Washington Post, every journalist is excessively responsible. In fact, there are checks and balances built-in to ensure that reporters are held accountable. Editors push reporters to make one more phone call; find more sources who will go on the record; dig deep to find more documents to corroborate facts. Yes, facts.  The notion, as touted by our president, that journalists are setting out on their own agenda is specious.  Again, the facts speak for themselves. According to the New York Times’ analysis of reputable media analytics companies, mediaQuant and SMG Delta, candidate Donald Trump received nearly $2 billion in free media coverage, which translated into live streams of his rallies as he traveled around the country, interviews and stories published or aired in thousands of media outlets.At any given point during the past 18 months, this president has chosen to praise those media and pollsters who have “promoted” his agenda, and punish others. That’s his right. In the spirit of upholding America’s strong brand of democracy, the president might want to dust off his copy of the Constitution and heed the words of veteran Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain who told NBC’s Chuck Todd that quashing the press is not a good idea: "That’s how dictators get started. … I hate the press. I hate you especially. But the fact is, we need you. We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital."    [author]About the Author: Neil Foote is a veteran journalist and media executive. He draws from his experience at the Miami Herald, Washington Post, Belo Corporation and Tom Joyner’s Reach Media. He also teaches digital and social media for journalists, media management and business journalism at the University of North Texas’ Frank W. & Sue Mayborn School of Journalism and runs Foote Communications, a media consulting firm. The native of Brooklyn, NY also is president of the board for the National Black Public Relations Society and founder of PoliticsInColor.com. [/author]