The world of the media is a brand new landscape in the Trump era, as everyone understands by now. Editors, writers, newscasters, and literally everyone in this business — even yours truly — are required now to look for new and unique ways to get a message across. And once we do, it’s up to each individual reader, viewer, or listener to determine whether or not it’s “fake news,” which is no small feat. The internet has flattened the globe in terms of opportunities to get competing narratives published, and the medium you likely clicked through to get here right now, Facebook, has made it dreadfully easy for people posting actual fake news to prey on the gullible.
But the Boston Globe had an incredible idea, and in a remarkable and unprecedented act of solidarity, more than 100 newspapers have agreed to join them. As CNN reported Saturday, the Globe has been recruiting editorial boards to combine forces and all publish op-eds next Thursday, August 16th, denouncing the other biggest obstacle to real news in America today: The Trump administration.
Donald Trump’s attacks on the press as “the enemy of the people” have led to at least one newsroom shooting and a scourge of private individuals sending threats to journalists. He has called them fake and disgusting and horrible and just about every other negative adjective you can think of — and it’s been working on his base.
Maybe the Globe‘s plan will have an effect:
We propose to publish an editorial on August 16 on the dangers of the administration’s assault on the press and ask others to commit to publishing their own editorials on the same date. The impact of Trump’s assault on journalism looks different in Boise than it does in Boston. Our words will differ. But at least we can agree that such attacks are alarming.”
At the time of this writing, more than 100 outlets have responded, and Marjorie Pritchard, the editor of the Globe‘s editorial page, says that she expects even more to sign on in advance of Thursday.
Now if only the White House press corps would do something similar in Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ next briefing.
Featured image via Flickr/composite
