Senate Unanimously Passes Resolution Asserting That The Press Isn't The Enemy

The Senate unanimously passed a resolution Thursday confirming that “the press is not the enemy of the people.”

Introduced by three Democrats Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Richard Blumental (Conn.) and Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), the resolution stemmed from a move led by the Boston Globe that saw more than 350 news organizations write editorials in support of press freedom.

The resolution is mostly symbolic and was passed by a voice vote with no senators objecting, the Boston Globe reported.

President Donald Trump has consistently denigrated the media, calling it the “enemy of the people.” He also retweeted a video of supporters at a recent Trump rally chanting “CNN sucks.”

“We can’t let statements by the president declaring the press is the enemy of the people go unchallenged,” Schatz said. “Both parties complain about the media but who would argue with Thomas Jefferson who wrote that ‘our liberty depends on the freedom of the press and that cannot be limited without being lost.’”

The Globe said it received threats Thursday after Trump tweeted about the news outlet, accusing it of being in collusion with other papers.