Last week, the Boston Globe put out a call to newspaper editorial boards across the country, both liberal and conservative, regarding the rhetoric of President Donald Trump against the foundational free and open press guaranteed by the United States Constitution.
And it’s far from coincidence that this president — whose behavior triggered his own Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate him — has tried meticulously to intimidate journalists who provide reporting on such behavior.
Journalists are public servants, who sometimes face dire consequences for simply doing their job, such as Technician alum and Pulitzer Prize finalist Chris Hondros, who was killed in 2011 while on a photo assignment in Libya.
In 1972, journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post began investigating a break-in at the Watergate Hotel, catalyzing a chain of events that would consume Washington for two years and lead to the first resignation of a U.S. president, changing American politics forever. The power of journalism was vital.
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. While national newspapers covered the tragedy extensively, Technician reported on the student reaction, describing on-campus memorials and vigils, detailing how the event directly affected college students right here in Raleigh. The power of journalism was vital.
In 2017, NC State Student Government underwent a tumultuous impeachment proceeding, culminating with the resignation of the Student Body Treasurer, which Technician reported on extensively for months. The power of journalism was vital.
The term “enemy of the people” has been used as a holistic descriptor for the press by President Trump, which he has also decried as “fake news.” He has berated, belittled and denigrated with a vigor unseen by any American president before.
And it’s an important distinction to make that the president isn’t directly referring to Technician in these statements. However, we remain vital and important to this campus, just as journalists across the nation remain vital in their roles serving the American people daily.
This rhetoric is dangerous. This rhetoric is, by no means, acceptable.
Technician is not perfect. We remain open for criticism through a variety of official and unofficial channels, and we encourage constructive criticism of our work. Despite our imperfections, we remain committed to the service we provide to students at this university. Just as Technician is a method of accountability for NC State, our readers are an integral piece of accountability for the student news organization of the largest university in North Carolina.
There remains a distinction, however, between criticism and blatant attacks on the free press across the country.
The mission statement of Technician, as written in the Student Media Constitution*, states “The newspaper shall report events of interest to the University community with emphasis on those of interest to students, shall function as a meeting place for campus opinions through letters and guest-written material, and shall maintain an unfettered editorial opinion voice.”
It is our duty and privilege to join with The Boston Globe and other United States news organizations in using our unfettered editorial opinion voice to mark the importance of the First Amendment. We invite you to continue participating by reading Technician, online and in print, writing letters to the editor and guest columns, and supporting the journalists working both locally and nationally. We may stumble, but we will not fall, and we must not remain silent during this time of dangerous rhetoric.
This unsigned editorial is the opinion of the majority of Technician’s editorial board, and is the responsibility of the editor-in-chief.
*Editor’s Note: This editorial has been updated to reflect the wording of NC State’s Student Media Constitution.
