Freedom of the press in the modern era
With press protections under fire in the U.S. and overseas, journalists have to combat censorship and “fake news” while also fearing for their safety
Story by GWEN ROLEY
On Oct. 2, 2018, the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed at his country’s consulate in Turkey. The Saudi Arabian government denied responsibility for his death for over two weeks before admitting he had been beaten and strangled to death by a group of government officials. Saudi Arabia has maintained that his death was an accident that occurred after an argument got out of hand, but Khashoggi had consistently reported critically on his country’s regime.
All around the globe, journalists are persecuted, imprisoned and attacked for simply doing their jobs. Reporters Without Borders, an organization which tracks worldwide press freedom, reported in 2018 that 132 out 180 countries do not have satisfactory press protections. RWB ranks countries each year by looking at their level of pluralism in reporting and the amount of freedom the media has from their government. The U.S. came in at 45th place on the 2018 ranking, despite being one of the more highly-developed countries in the world.
The United States’ low, but still satisfactory, ranking can be traced to a recent distrust of the press. Our current political polarization and the anti-media rhetoric coming from President Trump, as well as divisive conservative pundits, have turned many Americans against the press. Those in power, and those trying to gain more of it, lash out and attempt to discredit any type of news that critiques them. However, it is widely accepted that the role of journalists and the press is to act as a watchdog so political regimes and large corporations don’t get away with corruption. This is evidenced by the nickname “the fourth estate”, given to symbolize its importance as another check on our system of government.
Despite this supposedly established contract, journalists are threatened and put in danger everyday. Cases like Khashoggi’s are not unique, especially for foreign correspondents and reporters covering areas with regressive press laws. Journalists find the freedom of press and speech terrorized even in their own offices, where one would assume employees would be safer than those reporting in the field. In January 2015, the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo were attacked by armed Islamists, killing 12 people. On Oct. 24, 2018, when bombs were sent to several Democratic politicians, the perpetrator saw fit to also send explosives to CNN’s New York City office, leading to an evacuation.
The main grievance that many people express about news organizations is that they don’t report the truth. Or, more accurately, they don’t report the narrative the reader or viewer wants that will coincide with their ideology. There is no denying that every news outlet has a political slant. For example, The New York Times skews more liberal and The Wall Street Journal leans more conservative. But these are two well-respected newspapers that make it their mission to report accurately and fairly despite their political leanings.
This is always the job of a reporter. Every fact and phrase is handled painstakingly so the version of the story presented can be as balanced as possible. Yes, there are going to be different iterations of this that span the political spectrum, and yes, there are certainly going to be those that veer too far to the extreme. But these different iterations present a plurality that is part of what makes a free democracy such an appealing concept. This free democracy can be put at risk when there are not sufficient protections for a free press.
It is the job of the reporter to present information in an accurate manner. Good reporters know this. But it is the job of the reader, the citizen, to internalize the facts they’re given and decide how they want to act on that information. Recently the give and take of this symbiotic relationship has involved not only disagreements, but death threats. As press protections and freedoms erode and distrust in the media is constantly promoted by the presidential administration, resulting in actions like banning CNN’s Jim Acosta from White House press conferences, it becomes harder and more dangerous for journalists to do their job every day.