As a journalism major, I dread telling people what I do because there is one response I always fear: “Oh, don’t work for any fake news organizations.”
While this does not happen often, I have certainly heard this response enough times to be sick of it — and I am still a student.
Journalism has always had its ups and downs in the public eye; it is a natural part of the profession as our work is constantly under intense scrutiny.
Thanks to President Donald Trump, though, many Americans now doubt good, credible journalism without even reading it. They lump together news organizations as “fake news” because they do not write stories praising President Trump as he wishes they would.
On Wednesday, the White House announced they cancelled their subscriptions to The New York Times and The Washington Post for being “fake news,” according to The New York Times.
Clearly, Trump would prefer a style of journalism similar to North Korea or Russia, where all the publications report favorably on their leaders regardless of what they are actually doing for the country.
Trump’s approval rating for October 2019 is 39 percent, according to Gallup Polls. This means a fair amount of people do not believe the president is currently doing a satisfactory job. Why, then, would the media report on the great stuff he is doing if more than half of America hardly believes it exists?
Even worse, there is currently an impeachment inquiry in progress, which of course is going to be covered as much as possible because it is a huge event for the country. That is simply a matter of covering the things the American people deserve to know, which is quite the opposite of “fake news.”
Trump’s rhetoric towards journalists is dangerous because it makes the truth that much harder to uncover. If people blindly believe everything the president says, which for some reason is the case for many Americans, then the truth is harder to uncover.
If I have learned anything in my journalism classes it is that it is my duty to present the truth and nothing else. It is my duty to watch the people in power and expose their wrongdoings so the average American citizen knows what is actually happening and how it will affect them.
I was never taught that my job as a journalist is to give the president an ego-boost and tell him how terrific of a job he is doing. I am not learning how to write press releases or do crisis management whenever Trump says something horribly racist such as comparing the impeachment trials to a lynching.
It is my job to report on that event and give both sides of the conversation an equal voice in my reportage. I take my job very seriously and constantly being referred to as “fake news” makes people take me way less seriously.
Though the attacks are targeted at The Washington Post and The New York Times, it is an attack on all journalism as well because it ultimately affects our credibility. It makes my job that much harder than it already is and being a student journalist can already be difficult.
I highly doubt President Richard Nixon enjoyed the press coverage he was receiving when he was in the process of being impeached, but it was the duty of the press to point out the lies he told and the crimes he committed.
Every president must be held accountable for their actions and Trump is no exception to that.
Very well said. One of the keys to a successful democracy is freedom of the press, and something every citizen should highly value.
Ms. Varner, I’m glad that you and the “Freep” are standing up for our rights and your future. Sadly, not everyone who says that they are journalists are doing it. Keep doing a good job.
Good job Meredith. Tell it like it is!!