On Monday, the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly voted to allocate $361,000 for additional ambulance crew. But the Juneau Best Starts child care funding initiative failed to get their support to put it on the October ballot. By informing the public of the assembly’s actions, the Empire is fulfilling its role in our democracy. And right now it’s our duty to defend their press freedoms from the tyrannical impulses emanating from the White House.
Last week the Boston Globe issued a clarion call for newspapers around the country to address President Trump’s “relentless assault on the free press.” More than 350 answered. If you think the Empire coverage of the Assembly is a separate concern, I ask that you consider the closing paragraph in the New York Times editorial:
“If you haven’t already, please subscribe to your local papers. Praise them when you think they’ve done a good job and criticize them when you think they could do better. We’re all in this together.”
We need to recognize the other daily challenges the Empire faces. Like every newspaper, online competition has hurt print readership. And much of the classified advertising revenue stream which helped them flourish has long since migrated to websites like Craigslist.
Far too often I hear from friends who have stopped subscribing because the Empire’s lean content isn’t worth the cost. My answer — paying less than 60 cents a day to help guarantee a healthy newspaper exists in Alaska’s capital city is a bargain. We ought to be willing to pay more.
Similarly, for those who get their news from public radio, they should support it with voluntary contributions. Indeed, support both. Because not only does competition make them better. Our knowledge and opinions become more mature when we’re not reliant on one source.
Other friends of mine have considered dropping the Empire after reading an editorial they disliked. Two in particular come to mind — the anti-refugee piece published on Sept. 24, 2015 and the publisher’s endorsement of Trump for president.
Both were written by Morris Communication, the Georgia-based owner at the time. Were they biased? Of course. The opinion pages are filled with bias. That’s the nature of the beast. But bias exists in every reader too. And the point of publishing opinions in a public forum isn’t to affirm anyone’s beliefs. It’s to help us engage in a civil debate on issues vital to our community, state and the nation.
It’s our right as Americans, as the Atlantic Magazine editors acknowledged, to “read what you will.” But “to write what you think, and to publish what you believe” is part of that constitutionally protected freedom. Trump took an oath to defend that, the spirit of which he is violating by calling the press “the enemy of the people.” But are we any better if we seek to silence a disagreeable voice amongst us?
We need to do more than ensure diversity in the news media survives. It must thrive. Without it, Trump’s “fake news” dismissal of every story critical of his presidency will become the tool of choice for politicians in all levels of government.
Just last week that copout was tossed at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune for questioning the validity of Melissa Howard’s college degree. The candidate for the Florida House of Representatives falsely claimed she had earned a college degree and doubled down on the lie by posting a phony diploma on Facebook.
Of course, reporters can get it wrong. The publisher almost always retracts the error though. When they don’t it is our responsibility, not the state’s, to hold them accountable because, as the Atlantic reminds us, the “press is neither the enemy of the people nor its ally, but rather its possession.”
Trump will never be a legitimate owner of the news media. But his viscous efforts to discredit all criticism and opposition are undermining a pillar of American democracy. And that puts our role in guiding the fate of our cities, states and nation at risk. So from New York to Alaska, we must raise our voices to defend of the freedom of the press.
• Rich Moniak is a Juneau resident and retired civil engineer with more than 25 years of experience working in the public sector. He contributes a weekly “My Turn” to the Juneau Empire. My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire.
