So many patronizing phrases come to mind when I think of all of my warnings and angry submissions about Trump.
“Just give him a chance.”
“He can’t be worse than Hillary.”
“He’s pro-life, so I’m supporting him.”
“The world isn’t falling. We didn’t react this way when Obama was president.”
News flash: The Obama presidency never banned media organizations from press briefings. Coming back with “Obama *almost* did” (not true, of course) is a childish and boorish response.
The time to act is now. This is serious.
We are witnessing the slow dismantling of our government and American society as we know it. These unconstitutional acts are trickling down slowly ― there’s the catastrophic Muslim ban, shady Russian interference and bills about non-existent issues and events, like the transgender bathroom ban and the “Bowling Green massacre.”
Creating fear where there is none is typical of an authoritarian government.
Suppressing the media is a natural progression in the plot to tyranny.
This is not progressives overreacting about their precious “liberal media.” (Newsflash: Many major newspapers typically endorse conservative presidential candidates. The phrase “liberal media” is completely moronic.) This is a blatant violation of the First Amendment, and it affects all of us.
We’ve already had the terms “fake news” and “alternative facts” smashed into the American psyche. Now we are seeing legitimate news organizations dubbed as being “fake” and being banned for simply doing their jobs.
When suppression happens to some of us, it happens to all of us. If we do nothing to stop this, we will look back and wonder how the media became a propaganda megaphone for the government.
So what can we do? Besides calling our representatives and showing up at their offices (which is working!) you can do a few things now:
1) Support media organizations financially. Pay for subscriptions for the banned news organizations like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Make donations to public television and radio. Send e-mails and letters of support.
Quit skimming articles from no-name sources and start reading a few in-depth, well-researched stories about local, state and federal governments. NPR, the Associated Press and Reuters should be your go-to sources for news. Reading less can mean gaining more.
Our country’s journalists are considered the “enemy” and the “opposition party.” Let them know you are still in support of their place within a democracy.
2) Protest and march! Let the White House press office and other organizations know that this is a critical issue you will not support. A few voices may turn heads but many voices will turn the world.
There’s currently a March for the First Amendment being planned between now and the end of the year. Start thinking about how you can join or lead a march in your city or state.
This is not a drill, people. We are watching our fundamental rights as Americans being peeled away from us. Journalism is the foundation of a democracy.
We must not stop fighting.
