By Rachyl Houterman, Staff Writer for The Spectator
Journalism in America has entered uncertain times, but liberty isn’t guaranteed without it
On Feb. 17, President Donald Trump sent out a tweet stating the media “is the enemy of the American people,” making it clear he was referring to CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC and The New York Times, whom he labeled in the tweet as “fake news.”
It isn’t uncommon for administrations to attack the media, a famous example being Richard Nixon, who told former Secretary of Defense Henry Kissinger in 1972 “The press is the enemy.” Nixon even threatened to fire his press secretary, Ron Ziegler, if he didn’t keep the press out of the White House.
But President Trump has taken his hatred beyond Nixon’s, and the truth is his threats are dangerous to the freedom of the press of the American democracy.
White House Secretary of the Press Sean Spicer recently barred reporters from The New York Times, Politico, the Los Angeles Times and others from one of his briefings in late February. It was a move celebrated by some who share an equal distrust in the media, but the question must be asked: What does this solve?
Is this a form of “discipline” in which the media will be praised and allowed to sit in on the press conferences only when they write what the Trump administration considers favorable?
To read the entire column in The Spectator, please click here.