Stand against fake news, stand with the press

Staff Editorial

When taking a look back at fascist regimes and dangerous dictators, what is one thing they all have in common? They start their reign of terror by attacking the press.

When you control the media, you control how the public thinks and what information they receive, and your battle is half won.

It is no lie when people say ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’, just take a quick glance through history. Battles are won and regimes toppled with the flick of a pen and a well-placed adjective. We are actively witnessing, in 2018 America, people in power trying to villainize the press and destroy its reputation.

This is not only a thing of the past or something that is happening in a distant country, it is happening in our home. Just look around.

When the press is discredited, it is you, the citizen, that suffers. Our job is to serve you the whole truth, nothing more and nothing less, whether you like it or not.

We at The Daily Eastern News do not sit through two-hour-long meetings for the fun of it, we do it so you do not have to. We do it so if something is decided upon that would harm the student body, you all have a chance to change the decision before it would be finalized.

We write for all students and faculty and staff and community members—writing is our weapon of choice to protect you and ourselves.

Come into the newsroom any day, it will be filled with real students doing hard work for the betterment of you, not for the spread of false information.

It is the same with any other credible news source in the country, and as soon as you forget about that, you are handing a free pass to people with bad intentions and harmful ideas to do as they wish. We all lose in that situation.

We take a stand everyday against fake news by using good reporting skills and by being honest with our sources and our readers. It is up to you to take a stand by not believing the press is the enemy, by reading credible news sources and by holding them accountable if they do mess up. Together is the only way we can survive this intact, and a democracy without a free and trusted press would no longer be a democracy.

No matter what you believe in or who you voted for, the press is here to support you, to offer a platform where real discussions can happen and real change can be initiated.

Spread real news, double-check your facts and support journalists. We support you.

Our motto at The Daily Eastern News is one we—and you—should live by and support: tell the truth and don’t be afraid. If journalists fall, this nation falls.

#PressBack