26 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 16, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
26 The Queens Courier • AUGUST 16, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com
editorial
Hey Trump: We are not the enemy!
Th ere’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.”
Th at 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
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
r e a l l y
sun
THE QUEENS
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
WWW.COURIERSUN.COM
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
CO-PUBLISHER
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
VP, EVENTS,WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA
ART DIRECTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
STAFF REPORTERS
CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS
ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER
CLASSIFIED MANAGER
CONTROLLER
PRESIDENT & CEO
VICE PRESIDENT
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
BOB BRENNAN
ROBERT POZARYCKI
AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ
NIRMAL SINGH
EMILY DAVENPORT
KATRINA MEDOFF, RYAN KELLEY, JENNA BAGCAL
SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI
DEBORAH CUSICK
CELESTE ALAMIN
MARIA VALENCIA
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
www.qns.com
editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com
for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com
Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Queens Courier
All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should
include a full address and home and offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, indicating
special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION.
No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The
publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the
error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within fi ve days of publication. Ad position cannot be
guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or
reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold
THE QUEENS COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting
from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.
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
state-run 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
Th e 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.
Publisher & E ditor Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Co-Publisher Joshua A. Schneps
Associate Publisher Bob Brennan
E ditor-In-Chief Robert Pozarycki
VP, Events, Web & Social Media Amy Amato-Sanchez
Art Director Nirmal Singh
S ocial Media Manager Emily Davenport
S taff Reporters Katrina Medoff, Ryan Kelly, Angela Matua
Suzanne Monteverdi
Contributing Reporters Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni
Assistant to Publisher Deborah Cusick
Classified Manager Celeste Alamin
Controller Maria Valencia
President & CEO Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Vice President Joshua A. Schneps
Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
www.qns.com
editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com
for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com
Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Courier Sun
All letters sent to THE COURIER SUN should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should
include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation,
indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request.
No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE COURIER SUN. The
publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by
the error. Errors must be reported to THE COURIER SUN within five days of publication. Ad position
cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication.
VIctoria Media Services assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes
all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold The Courier SUN and its
employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the
publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.
/contact
link
link
/www.qns.com
/contact
/contact
/www.qns.com