12 AUGUST 16, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Hey Trump: We are not the enemy!
There’s nothing fake about the
real threat that 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 the Constitution and our rights,
as John Adams once said, “to read, to
think, to speak and to write” as people
in a free society. He sees the press as
threats to his power — even though the
press is just doing its job reporting on
what’s happening in government.
He’s not the fi rst politician to openly
dislike the press — God knows we’ve
seen plenty of those in New York City
through the years — but he’s the fi rst
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 squash opposition and achieve
absolute power.
And whenever he 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 aff ordable housing,
and so many other issues.
Readers call or email us every
week with tips on news items, and
oft en, 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 them?
Do you honestly believe that a staterun
media would ever let you know
the truth about anything?
Today, Aug. 16, we proudly stand
with the more than 200 news organizations
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.”
Trump wants you to believe otherwise
because it advances his agenda,
rooted in totalitarianism. It can happen
here in the United States, but only
if we allow Trump to get away with
it. Merely dismissing or ignoring his
comments isn’t good enough — they
must be denied and condemned by
all of us as Americans, regardless of
party or political belief.
Because Twitter seems to be one of
the few things to which this president
pays attention, we want our readers
to tweet at the president, @realDonaldTrump,
the following:
“Stop attacking the press and stop
dividing our country. We know the
press is not our enemy, and nothing
you can say or do will ever change that.”
If you aren’t on Twitter, or would
simply prefer to send that message
in writing, send it electronically by
visiting https://www.whitehouse.gov/
contact, or mail it to the President,
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington,
D.C., 20500.
EDITORIAL
ESTABLISHED 1908
Co-Publishers
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
Editor-in-Chief
ROBERT POZARYCKI
Classifi ed Manager
DEBORAH CUSICK
Assistant Classifi ed Manager
MARLENE RUIZ
Reporter
RYAN KELLEY
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