President vs. The Media

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The First Amendment to the Constitution protects freedom of the press. This important right was meant to serve as a protector of democracy. Since the establishment of our government, the press has served as the people's "watchdog." It interviews and investigates in order to keep government and governmental officials honest. While the average citizen may not pay much attention to what is going on in Washington D.C., the press's eyes are always open, vigilantly watching the government's every move. They inform the public of what is going on both in front of and behind closed doors. Journalists have been named the "custodians of conscience,...looking for violations of the moral order … the norms concerning what’s right and wrong” (See American Media: The Nations' Watchdog.)

 This role of overseer has resulted in a contentious relationship between the press and the current president, Donald Trump. President Trump has virtually declared war on the news media, as seen in his Twitter account.

He does not like to be criticized; most people do not like to be criticized either. If you look throughout history, President Trump is not the only sitting president who did not get along with the media. It is important to point out that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson rebuffed the press for their criticisms. More recently, Richard Nixon and even Barack Obama clashed with reporters. See Donald Trump and nine other presidents who had complicated relationships with the media.

Despite the pressure and difficulties that the president and the other members of the executive branch may present, it is extremely important for the press to continue on as the people's watchdog. We must encourage and protect the right to freedom of the press as it is delineated in the First Amendment. If we look around the world, we can see countries where the press is not free. In order to protect our democracy, we must protect the press!



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