Without Media, You Can’t Read All About It

Melissa McCarthy’s impersonation of an angry White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer attacking reporters on “Saturday Night Live” is funny because it is true.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right to a free press.

Editorial

— The Ursus Staff

Since the founding of this country, the concept of a free press, for both Democrats and Republicans alike, has been something that the U.S. holds dear with great pride.

In today’s world, however, the current presidential administration has, on many occasions, attacked the free press or Fourth Estate, and hurt the country in doing so.

For citizens to make informed decisions when voting, they need information from many sources. Since the beginning of America, the Fourth Estate has been a part of our democracy.

The citizens can not attend every press briefing or speech that a president gives, and therefore relies on the press to bring the news to the people.

The Trump administration is attacking the integrity of the Fourth Estate, as well as disregarding and refusing to answer a question from a respected news source.

Trump and the executive staff have taken to social media, Twitter in particular, to communicate directly to the citizens. This is a valid and new form of information, but in a world in which the news travels from the government to the people, from one group to the other, with no buffer in between to interpret and deliver the news professionally, the free press is even more important than ever to be a source for accurate information about the world around us.

Whether or not you fully support or fully dislike our sitting president and his staff, support the free press. Because without a free press, you can not make informed decisions about and for your country.