Editorial: Foundation of our freedom – Daily Press

Our Founding Fathers considered a free press so instrinsic to the democratic ideal that they wrote it into the very first amendment of the document that launched our nation. Thomas Jefferson wrote that "the only security of all is in a free press." Subsequent statesmen have had their ups and downs with the fourth estate, but have always understood and respected the need for a truly independent media.

President Donald Trump, as he so often does, stands as an exception and the tone he chooses to set in the Oval Office poses a clear threat not only to the press, but to American citizens in general.

What is at risk here is your access to information.

The president has hurled many epithets at the media "scum" and "sleaze" are among the more tame ones. But those words are the smokescreen that distracts the public's attention, and sometimes even the media's attention, from the more alarming pattern of behavior in which he is methodically chipping away at the very institution of a free press.

Mr. Trump has vowed, both before and after his election, to gut the First Amendment and "open up" libel laws to make it easier to sue news organizations for critical coverage. This spring he suggested the White House could dispense with press briefings and instead simply hand out written statements for the media to publish, unquestioned. It hasn't gotten to that point yet, but the White House has taken the rather stunning step of excluding TV cameras from briefings.

This attempt to undermine the fundamental institution of a free press are nothing short of insidious. The First Amendment, which also covers freedom of speech and religion, states that neither an individual nor a news organization can be prosecuted for criticizing the government. It seems so obvious now, but it was a revolutionary thought at the time.

The crucial watchdog role implicitly bestowed upon a free press has been instrumental in the continued development of our nation. The free press, unheard of in King George III's England, rallied colonists behind the revolution. It played a role in the abolition of slavery and a century later in the success of the Civil Rights movement.

Racers came to practice and run the track before race day tomorrow at the Langley Speedway in Hampton.

Racers came to practice and run the track before race day tomorrow at the Langley Speedway in Hampton.

Investigations that were only possible under the protections of the First Amendment have challenged unethical industries and fought for the rights and safety of workers and other American citizens. The free press has uncovered government corruption and held the offenders responsible.

Here on the Peninsula, reporting by the Daily Press uncovered a police sting operation that churned $4 million through its coffers without a single arrest; parsed crime and sentencing statistics to see if all of our citizens are treated farily by the legal system; and most recently, called out the Peninsula Airport Commission for throwing away millions of your tax dollars to pay off someone else's bad loan as part of a back room deal.

None of this would have been possible without the First Amendment freedoms that are now being threatened.

President Trump's ascent to the White House came at a time when the public's right to know was already under attack. Government bodies at all levels have been working to punch holes in the Freedom of Information Act, which guarantees the media and citizens access to public information and details about how your tax dollars are spent.

We find ourselves fighting these battles more and more these days battling a state clerk's office in an attempt to see a database of crime and sentencing statistics culled from public records around the state, or dealing with a judge who wanted to close a county supervisor's domestic violence trial to the media (but allow the public to attend).

The tone set by the president encourages this kind of response, making it easier for millions of citizens to shrug (or even cheer) when the press is denied access to important information that pertains to your tax dollars, your laws and your lives.

When we seek access to public records, when we use FOIA to investigate public officials and agencies, it is part of our job as the eyes and ears of the readers whom we represent and serve. It is our duty to keep a close watch on how your tax dollars are spent and on how the public's business is being conducted.

The free press is one of the critical pillars that supports any democracy. An attack on that foundation is an attack on the entire democratic system.

When someone wants to limit the press' freedom, they are really limiting your freedom. When they keep information from us, they are keeping it from you.

That notion offends us. It should offend you.

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Editorial: Foundation of our freedom - Daily Press