Ever since the new administration has taken office, it has become clear that there is a recurring theme of anti-media sentiment in the White House. After certain individuals established false publications and unreliable news sites during the election, the new administration has developed a negative view of the media, even if it is unwarranted.

For starters, the “fake news” has gotten out of hand. Initially this was an area of concern, as misleading articles on faulty sources are an important issue, but the Trump administration began using “fake news” as a crutch to disagree with any news outlet that publishes reports that do not favor them. New York Times, CNN and other respectable media outlets have been the targets of President Donald Trump’s media tirade.

This issue, though seemingly harmless, can be troubling because Trump’s outcry that these sources are “fake news” is discrediting the press, a system that is designed to keep government officials in check. It has come to a point that Trump refused to answer CNN’s questions at a press conference, and a CNN reporter was threatened to be kicked out by Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

Trump’s refusal to acknowledge these sources emphasizes the importance of the press in modern society. Journalism is the only profession that is directly protected by the Constitution, and Trump is undermining the media solely due to personal distaste with the facts that they make public.

The press has a duty to the American people to ensure that public officials are kept in line, so the more that the Trump administration attempts to undermine the reliability of the media, the more important it is that we expose these unjustified attacks.

The press is not designed to report what everyone wants to hear, but rather the truth, and as far as any genuine evidence has gone to show, CNN and The New York Times have done just that. Any presidential administration that restricts the American freedom of the press is on the verge of becoming a dictatorship.

The truth is, “fake news” is a very important issue, but only when it is legitimate. Trump’s complaints that any unfavorable articles are “fake news” is a violation of the media’s rights. By undermining truthful articles, he creates a pro-Trump bias which depicts an unrealistic view of society. A large percentage of the country is unhappy with him and his policies, but he refuses to believe that it is not a bias in the reporting.

News outlets that have been under fire have continued to publish articles, positive or negative, so we can expect to see more criticism from the president.  Regardless of Trump’s outcry, the press will continue to ensure that whenever he, or any other public official oversteps their bounds, that the country will be made aware of it, regardless of the backlash afterwards. This is what makes the press so important.

Editorial Board

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