Free Press

 

Whether or not I agree with them, I believe FOX and CNN and all news outlets have a right to their editorial perspective. I know very well that all journalism must of necessity report selectively, and that will reflect their presuppositions. When honest errors and falsehoods are reported as facts, other sources find and report documentation that compels corrections and retractions. Both FOX and CNN (and others) have had to do that, even if it doesn’t alter their editorial stance. This is one reason the free press is so critical. It is not just a check on the unbridled power of government and business, but is a check on blatant propaganda from within its own ranks. This is particularly true of those who claim access to some secret sources that are not submitted to public review.

 

Right now the free press seems to be under attack with ridicule, innuendo, and denial. That is serious and calls all journalists to be scrupulous about the accuracy of their reporting. Other administrations have had their quarrels with the press, but I take some comfort in knowing that printing presses (or internet connections) are not being destroyed by government agency, such as the Texas Rangers did to Jovita Idár in 1914. Nor are journalists being executed as Sophie and Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst were by the Nazi Volksgerichtshof  (People’s Court) in 1943. The intentional undermining our confidence in recognizing what is true is a serious threat, not just to the free press but to the social fabric of our human relationships.

 

Nevertheless, I do believe that as long as people of conscience speak out, truth will eventually surface. As Jesus said, “For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. … Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.” (Luke 8:17; 12:3) We do need to recognize that something foul is afoot if we begin to see government censorship of the news, arrests or other legal measures taken to silence journalists, or the criminalization of public dissent. That would call for decisive court action and great public outcry.