To President Trump, or his staff, or any elected official or corporate executive or even citizen who has bought into the lie that the press is the problem, let me be perfectly clear:
We are not the enemy.
A free press, reporting the facts, uncovering the truth, is part of the foundation of our democracy. We are the counter-balance to the power of government and big business and big institutions. We are the un-hiders of that which the powerful would keep hidden, the un-coverers of that which has been overlooked or buried. We bring light to darkness, justice to the oppressed, hope to the forgotten.
Who, then, is the enemy of the American people, and of our democracy itself?
The power of money is the enemy. The quid pro quo, the wink of the eye, the backroom deal – these are the enemies. Greed in all its forms – the greed for money, the greed for power, the greed for control – is the enemy. Cynicism, ineptitude, betrayal of the public trust – these are the enemies.
And the biggest enemies of all? Leaders that lie, and cheat, and steal, and break every ethical principle ever applied to either public or private service – and then have the gall to turn the blame on others. Leaders that break the trust of their followers and of the nation, and then try to gaslight their way out of it, or hope that they can make someone, anyone, into the scapegoat.
No sir, we are not the enemy. THESE are the enemies, the threats to democracy. These are the things that, left unchecked, will destroy the American experiment.
And we? We are the Press. And know this: we will not be gaslighted, or distracted, or dissuaded from pursuing the facts. We will not be intimidated from calling a lie a lie, and a power grab a power grab, and corruption just what it is: corruption.
We are the Press. We are here. And we shall continue to do our jobs, and publish the facts as best we can. That is our job, and our calling. That is our service to Democracy.
We are the Press.
–30–
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