22 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2018
POINT OF VIEW
FREE PRESS:
NOT PUBLIC ENEMY
The Long Island Press
Congratulates Tim Kennedy on becoming
a Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional
NOW 1 OF 155 LOAN ORIGINATORS
ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY
WITH THIS CERTIFICATION
An Elite Group of Professionals
201 Old Country Road, Suite 140
Melville, NY 11747
(631) 750-0520
www.usmortgage.com
Learn more about Retirement
on your own terms
US Mortgage Corporation (NMLS ID#3901). Corporate Oce is located at 201 Old Country Road, Suite 140, Melville, NY 11747; 631-580-2600 or (800) 562-6715 (LOANS 15). Licensed Mortgage Banker-NYS Department of Financial Services
(Lie. #B500533). US Mortgage Corporation is not an agent of or acting on behalf of or at the direction of HUD/FHA/VA/USDA or the Federal government. Rates, fees and program guidelines are subject to change without notice. Some loans
arranged through third parties. First Liens. Not all products and/or programs are available in all states. Certain restrictions may apply and not all applicants will qualify. Homeowners must be 62 years of age or older and must live in the
home as a primary residence. Must meet underwriting and collateral requirements. Program and qualications are subject to change without notice. This document is not intended as an oer to extend credit nor a commitment to lend.
Bryan G . Van Huele
Financial
Services Professional
Agent, New York Life Insurance Company
(929) 328 - 9772
bvanhuele@ft.newyorklife.com
39-02 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11354
Registered Representative for NYLIFE Securities LLC
(member FINRA / SIPCA),
a Licensed Insurance Agency
SMRU 1765602 Exp. 02/13/2020
FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD
There’s nothing fake about the real
threat that President Donald Trump
poses to the freedom of the press in
this country.
President Trump took an oath to
“preserve, protect and defend the
Constitution of the United States.”
That same Constitution includes an
amendment protecting the people’s
ability to petition government, to
speak freely for or against it, to worship
without fear of persecution, and
to report and publish on the events
of the day.
Yet Trump, on an almost daily basis,
attacks our rights, as John Adams
once said, “to read, think, speak and
write” as people in a free society. The
president sees the press as a threat to
his power — even though the press
is just doing its job by reporting on
what’s happening in government.
He’s not the first politician to
openly dislike the press — God knows
we’ve seen plenty of those in New
York through the years — but he’s the
first sitting president to actively chip
away at our collective credibility.
Trump can’t handle the truth, so he
whips out that garbage “fake news”
line every chance he can. When
Trump says the news is fake, what
he’s really doing is seeking to create
an alternate reality to the one in
which we all live.
It’s the same tactic used by
strongmen throughout the ages
— Mussolini, Castro, Saddam, Chavez,
Duterte, Erdogan, Putin, just to name
a few — to quash opposition and
achieve absolute power.
And whenever Trump uses that
“fake news” term, he’s attacking all
of us in the press — including community
newspapers.
Every day, we work hard to report
the truth to our readers about what’s
happening in their neighborhoods.
Along the way, we have to clear
through a torrent of bureaucratic
hurdles to get the facts on everything
from potholes to prison reform,
homeless shelters to affordable housing,
and so many other issues.
Readers call or email us with tips
on news items. Often, they come to us
having already reported their problems
to the city or state governments
— but without having received any response
or solution to their concerns.
Who will bring attention to the
problems we experience every day if
the press isn’t there to report it? Who
will hold government accountable for
inaction, corruption and poor decisions
if the press isn’t there to shed light on it?
Do you honestly believe that a staterun
media would ever let you know
the truth about anything?
We proudly stand with hundreds
of news publications nationwide participating
in an editorial campaign
led by The Boston Globe, designed to
deliver a message to Trump, to our
readers and to the American people:
We are not the enemy of the people.
When Trump says the news is fake,
what he’s really doing is seeking
to create an alternate reality.
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