For a campaign that likes to claim that they’re taking back free speech, kicking the press out of the White House seems like a seriously erroneous move to make. I’m not sure why we seems to be retreating to the past—the right’s of women, press standing outside the gates for scarps of information thrown to the wind—on so many seemingly non-issues. Information is for everyone. The Violence Against Women Act should definitely stay where it is. Right now, I’m super glad for checks and balances. The press needs to stay in the White House so that the public can stay cautiously informed about the decisions, enactments, and goals that the president and the various committees have.
The Press Corps penned this well thought out letter Donald Trump commenting how they’re going to earn back the trust of Americans, that they will take necessary measures to report a story, all while they casually noted how they control the amount of air time a guest has. Personally, that last bit was my favorite part of the letter.
I hope, and doubt, that Trump will heed the warning and realize that the media is a giant aspect and place of information for this country. The people who were already against it, and distrustful of it, would be that way whether he was on stage or not. They probably enjoy the confirmation, but it’s unnecessary. The seed of doubt and the alienation of certain news brands is dangerous.
People need to be able to find real news for themselves. When you take away all the options, you’re left with nothing but what those in power want you to hear. That makes me nervous. Why? I think that’s what this whole crafting of ‘fake news’ is leaning towards. Also, news isn’t fake just because it paints ones in a light that isn’t appreciated. Of course, that being said, news also isn’t fake when it paints one in an appreciated light either.
This is why, now more than ever, it’s important for people to write, and to talk, and to converse with others about their opinions and about information they have learned. People need to discover ways to weed out the fake headlines from the real ones.
I’m guilty of retweeting fake information, just like many others, but I was lucky enough to have someone let me know that it was fake and tell me the real details of the story. I think that is amazing. This is called looking out for each other. I immensely appreciate that. In these coming years, I have a feeling that there are going to be more stories to be dubious of, and with that, we the people are going to have to use our detective skills. Having other people look out for that sort of ‘update’ is helpful with that.
There are reasons that Teen Vogue shot to the top of many people’s reading list, and those reasons are the unflinching coverage of the election, the candidates, and the thoughts of the people through out the process. I hope more reporting like this is in the coming future.
These are just some of the reasons why those journalists need to have a spot in the White House. Better access can lend itself to better coverage. People then have more outlets to choose from: more perspectives to read, listen to, or watch.