{"id":9848,"date":"2018-08-16T16:29:17","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T20:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/?p=9848"},"modified":"2019-10-22T15:17:57","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T19:17:57","slug":"9848","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/?p=9848","title":{"rendered":"Freedom of the Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

South of the Canadian border there is a raging war over the legitimacy of media organizations. There is a growing disrespect and a new disregard for traditional news sources \u2013 and it is being fueled by politicians, corporations, and news media itself.\u00a0 Our mainstream media is assaulted on all fronts for its bias, uneven and \u201cyellow\u201d journalism. The public is increasingly doubtful that news organs are providing the facts of a matter. The end result of this assault is a growing cynicism and rejection of traditional media.<\/p>\n

Today, the popular and overused phrase for any news item that may not suit the reader\/viewer is to coin it \u201cfake news.\u201d Many will differentiate between facts and alternative facts and this is based on which set of facts may best fit a person\u2019s own bias. There are no \u201cbald truths\u201d that are recognized universally \u2013 or so it seems.<\/p>\n

There are no recognized, universal truths and no recognized conveyors of truth. We find in many cases, with the proliferation of Internet news sites and blogs and social media platforms, mainstream media and its unbiased news reporting is being replaced by opinionated editorializing of news events. Remarkably, there are generations of younger people who receive their news on select social media and from sources that reflect their own world-view.<\/p>\n

This is not only occurring in the United States. The erosion of credible (critical\/non bias) news sources is also happening in our country. This is a serious matter.<\/p>\n

One of the founding fathers of the United States, John Adams, made a sage observation about the necessity of a nation\u2019s media, \u201cThe liberty of the press is essential to the security of freedom.\u201d<\/em> This week, remarkably, American media has felt it necessary to take the unprecedented step to have to explain this fundamental idea. In hundreds of editorials across the country yesterday, the mainstream news media lashed out at President Donald Trump and his enduring rant against the U.S. fourth estate.<\/p>\n

CNN has compiled the over 350 news organizations<\/a> that participated in this campaign for the minds of the public.<\/p>\n

What is at stake is the credibility and authority of a free (non-state) media. The New York Times<\/em> provided an accurate assessment of our current state of affairs<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2018, some of the most damaging attacks are coming from government officials. Criticizing the news media \u2014 for underplaying or overplaying stories, for getting something wrong \u2014 is entirely right. News reporters and editors are human, and make mistakes. Correcting them is core to our job. But insisting that truths you don\u2019t like are \u201cfake news\u201d is dangerous to the lifeblood of democracy. And calling journalists the \u201cenemy of the people\u201d is dangerous, period.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In editorial after editorial, American news have tried to bring some perspective to this issue:<\/p>\n