ckaihatsu
14th June 2017, 13:54
SIGN THE PETITION: Protect the media
Dear Chris,
President Trump refers to them as the “enemies of the American people.”(1)
He’s not talking about terrorists or the North Korean government -- he’s talking about the media. Journalists who provide us with the information that empowers us to hold our elected officials accountable. Reporters who exercise their constitutional right to freedom of the press. These are the people that President Trump considers his enemies and, according to him, should be put in jail.(2)
This unfounded and hateful narrative has begun to permeate the political realm and, as a result, physical and verbal attacks on journalists have been on the rise. This is unacceptable. We need to demand that our elected officials -- current and future -- respect and defend the media, because without these institutions, our democracy is threatened.
Sign the petition today to demand the protection of the media. (https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/5034?t=19&akid=4203.2053337.bmc6up)
Attacks on journalists and on the integrity of the media’s institutions have greatly increased since the start of Trump’s presidency. Just this past month, five major assaults have taken place:
• A Congressional candidate from Montana assaulted a reporter from The Guardian who was trying to ask him a question.(3)
• A newspaper in Lexington, Kentucky had its windows shot out.(4)
• A journalist was arrested in West Virginia while asking the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services questions about the new Republican health care bill.(5)
• A journalist with CQ Roll Call was stalked and manhandled by security guards at the Federal Communications Commission headquarters when posing questions to an FCC Commissioner.(6)
• A CNN reporter was threatened by a U.S. State Department press official who was demanding that she reveal her sources.(7)
Trump’s “war with the media” created a space for these attacks to happen.(8) Trump has attempted to operate behind a veil of lies and secrecy, but the media have been largely successful in pulling back that curtain and providing us with reliable information about the current administration and scores of other public officials who we are counting on to run the government. His disdain for the media and their role in holding government accountable could shape attitudes across the country -- how electorates evaluate claims during campaign cycles, how the public feels about protections for press freedom, and how political and corporate officials deal with the media and the public.
Tell our elected officials that our democracy is at risk if they refuse to stand up for journalism. (https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/5034?t=20&akid=4203.2053337.bmc6up)
Our elected officials were put in office to defend our democracy and fight against corruption. They need to be held responsible in protecting a pillar of that democracy -- the press -- and the accountability and transparency they provide.
Sign the petition now! (https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/5034?t=21&akid=4203.2053337.bmc6up)
Yours in the fight for free press,
Brenna, along with Annie, Caitlin, Cheyenne, Eddie, Emma, Kelsey, Lindsay, Mahdi, Mary, Molly, Raquel, Scottie, Susannah, Tim, and William (the Courage team)
Footnotes:
1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/press-advocates-see-trumps-words-behind-physical-attacks-on-journalists/2017/05/25/f8ced468-4162-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?utm_term=.3ae75949d370
2. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/21/trump-threat-reporters-press-freedom
3. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/12/republican-greg-gianforte-sentenced-assaulting-guardian-reporter
4. http://www.newsweek.com/kentucky-newspaper-shooting-lexington-herald-leader-press-freedom-617708
5. https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2017/05/the-arrest-of-a-west-virginia-journalist/526149/
6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/05/19/fcc-security-guards-manhandle-reporter-eject-him-from-meeting-for-asking-questions/?utm_term=.fee7a7eda971
7. https://mic.com/articles/177468/cnn-state-department-rc-hammond-michelle-kosinski-demanded-sources#.L2ZyYCRlf
8. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/01/what-trump-means-for-journalism/514160/
Like what we do? Chip in to help fund the fight for a more progressive nation. Or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
Donate Today (https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/5040?t=30&akid=4203.2053337.bmc6up)
Courage Campaign fights for a more progressive California and country. We are an online community powered by more than 1.3 million members.
http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/586?t=18&akid=4203.2053337.bmc6up
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.
Dear Chris,
President Trump refers to them as the “enemies of the American people.”(1)
He’s not talking about terrorists or the North Korean government -- he’s talking about the media. Journalists who provide us with the information that empowers us to hold our elected officials accountable. Reporters who exercise their constitutional right to freedom of the press. These are the people that President Trump considers his enemies and, according to him, should be put in jail.(2)
This unfounded and hateful narrative has begun to permeate the political realm and, as a result, physical and verbal attacks on journalists have been on the rise. This is unacceptable. We need to demand that our elected officials -- current and future -- respect and defend the media, because without these institutions, our democracy is threatened.
Sign the petition today to demand the protection of the media. (https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/5034?t=19&akid=4203.2053337.bmc6up)
Attacks on journalists and on the integrity of the media’s institutions have greatly increased since the start of Trump’s presidency. Just this past month, five major assaults have taken place:
• A Congressional candidate from Montana assaulted a reporter from The Guardian who was trying to ask him a question.(3)
• A newspaper in Lexington, Kentucky had its windows shot out.(4)
• A journalist was arrested in West Virginia while asking the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services questions about the new Republican health care bill.(5)
• A journalist with CQ Roll Call was stalked and manhandled by security guards at the Federal Communications Commission headquarters when posing questions to an FCC Commissioner.(6)
• A CNN reporter was threatened by a U.S. State Department press official who was demanding that she reveal her sources.(7)
Trump’s “war with the media” created a space for these attacks to happen.(8) Trump has attempted to operate behind a veil of lies and secrecy, but the media have been largely successful in pulling back that curtain and providing us with reliable information about the current administration and scores of other public officials who we are counting on to run the government. His disdain for the media and their role in holding government accountable could shape attitudes across the country -- how electorates evaluate claims during campaign cycles, how the public feels about protections for press freedom, and how political and corporate officials deal with the media and the public.
Tell our elected officials that our democracy is at risk if they refuse to stand up for journalism. (https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/5034?t=20&akid=4203.2053337.bmc6up)
Our elected officials were put in office to defend our democracy and fight against corruption. They need to be held responsible in protecting a pillar of that democracy -- the press -- and the accountability and transparency they provide.
Sign the petition now! (https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/5034?t=21&akid=4203.2053337.bmc6up)
Yours in the fight for free press,
Brenna, along with Annie, Caitlin, Cheyenne, Eddie, Emma, Kelsey, Lindsay, Mahdi, Mary, Molly, Raquel, Scottie, Susannah, Tim, and William (the Courage team)
Footnotes:
1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/press-advocates-see-trumps-words-behind-physical-attacks-on-journalists/2017/05/25/f8ced468-4162-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?utm_term=.3ae75949d370
2. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/21/trump-threat-reporters-press-freedom
3. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/12/republican-greg-gianforte-sentenced-assaulting-guardian-reporter
4. http://www.newsweek.com/kentucky-newspaper-shooting-lexington-herald-leader-press-freedom-617708
5. https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2017/05/the-arrest-of-a-west-virginia-journalist/526149/
6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/05/19/fcc-security-guards-manhandle-reporter-eject-him-from-meeting-for-asking-questions/?utm_term=.fee7a7eda971
7. https://mic.com/articles/177468/cnn-state-department-rc-hammond-michelle-kosinski-demanded-sources#.L2ZyYCRlf
8. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/01/what-trump-means-for-journalism/514160/
Like what we do? Chip in to help fund the fight for a more progressive nation. Or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
Donate Today (https://couragecampaign.actionkit.com/go/5040?t=30&akid=4203.2053337.bmc6up)
Courage Campaign fights for a more progressive California and country. We are an online community powered by more than 1.3 million members.
http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/586?t=18&akid=4203.2053337.bmc6up
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.