Anay Simunovic ’18

In President Trump’s pursuit to “Make America Great Again,” he has attempted to rip apart a fundamental pillar of American democracy: independent press.
By calling professional journalists “enemies of the people” and referring to facts that challenge his reality as “fake news,” Trump is making Americans lose trust in the news media. In fact, a 2016 Gallup poll found that only 32 percent of Americans have trust and confidence in the mass media “to report the news fully, accurately and fairly.”
Americans no longer know what to believe or what sources to trust.
It is true and unfortunate that the news media is not perfect. Critics say we are too cynical, others say we are too elitist. Conservatives believe that we are too liberal and people on the left claim that corporate-owned media institutions like The Times are too centrist.
We are not flawless; however, the Trump administration’s reference to the media as the “opposition party” is uncalled for. Contrary to Trump’s beliefs, we are not treating him with “dishonesty, total deceit and deception,” as he stated in an interview with David Brody.
According to the L.A. Times, the role of a media institution is to be, “independent and aggressive in pursuit of the truth — not to take sides.”
News media is and always will be an essential component in the democratic process. The media serves a huge role in ensuring accountability in not only individual politicians but in institutions across the country. Furthermore, it makes sure that every opinion, no matter how unpopular it may be, has the chance to be heard and understood. The ability to form an opinion based on information is what makes a democracy a democracy.
Trump’s bullying of the media should not stop us from being anything other than objective, fair and open-minded.
I hope that journalists across the country, no matter how discouraged they may be, will continue to persevere in their pursuit of the truth.
“Journalism shouldn’t measure itself against any one campaign’s definition of fairness,” Jim Rutenberg, the New York Times’ media columnist, said. “It is journalism’s job to be true to the readers and viewers, and true to the facts, in a way that will stand up to history’s judgment. To do anything less would be untenable.”
As journalists, we have the power to make America great again.