Threats against journalists threaten everyone
Among the more unpleasant outcomes of life in the age of Trump are heightened attacks against journalists. From the president’s oft-repeated cry of “fake news” to describe accurate reporting he disagrees with to threats against reporters to actual violence, there is a lack of understanding and appreciation for the watchdog role journalists play in our complicated society.
The free press, protected in the First Amendment, is essential to ensure government operates in the open with the best interests of the people in mind. When top officials encourage — either overtly or with a sly wink — constant attacks on the press, our system is put at risk.
The problem seems to be escalating, in ways large and small. Over the weekend, a passenger on a United Airlines flight snapped a photograph of a man boarding the flight wearing a T-shirt with the words, “Rope. Tree. Journalist. Some Assembly Required.”
Despite the ability of airlines to police the clothing of passengers and require them to, for example, turn shirts inside out, the man was allowed to board the plane, no questions asked. Yet the shirt is advocating lynching reporters. Murder.
Over the same weekend, an even more disturbing incident occurred, as news reports described a video showing a fake Trump figure killing his media opponents — shooting, stabbing and otherwise decimating members of the press as well as political figures such as Barack Obama and the late John McCain and celebrities like Kathy Griffin and Rosie O’Donnell. The video was shown at a conference held by a pro-Trump group at his Miami resort.
The New York Times obtained a copy of the violent video, which has been condemned by the White House and was not a part of the official conference, organizers say. More than a year old, the video did not rise to prominence until it was shown at the American Priority conference. Donald Trump Jr. and former White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders were among those attending.
Apparently, the video adapts a scene from the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, placing the president’s head on a killer’s body as he mows his way through the socalled Church of Fake News. It is graphic, ugly and dangerous — it is far from uncommon for would-be shooters to view such videos as a tacit permission to kill.
What the video is not, however, is surprising. We are living in a time where disregard for the importance of solid journalism is thriving. From jeering at rallies, it is hardly a giant leap to threatening to lynch reporters or silence them en masse.
Locally, we are more fortunate — our readers appreciate the importance of focused, watchdog journalism. In most cases, that is. But we can’t talk about threats against reporters without mentioning what is happening in Rio Arriba County. The weekly Rio Grande Sun, always scrappy and out for the little guy, has reported accurately on misdeeds in the county sheriff ’s office.
As a result, Sheriff James Lujan and others appear to be targeting the paper. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico has filed a tort claim on behalf of reporter Tabitha Clay, stating that county employees and officials have retaliated against Clay since last May. That’s when her article about former Deputy Jeremy Barnes tasing a high school student in the chest was published.
The claim alleges three incidents of retaliation, including deputies parking outside Clay’s home in Santa Fe County and denying her access to the Rio Arriba County Courthouse with her reporting tools. This sort of reaction to reporting is dangerous, especially considering Barnes is facing criminal charges in connection with the tasing of the student. He was not the kind of deputy Rio Arriba officials should want patrolling their streets. And it’s the job of reporters like Clay to point that out, keeping the broader public safe.
When journalists do their jobs, the people of this nation are more informed about what is going on. The only people who want journalists kept quiet are those with something to hide. That’s true all the way from the White House to the Sheriff ’s Office in Rio Arriba County. Threats against journalists threaten everyone.