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There are four equal parts to our government which together are key to the continuation of our brand of democracy. Like a four-legged table, each must hold its own weight, or it will fall.
These four parts are the congress (house and senate), the executive (presidency), the judiciary (courts) and the press (media). They balance each other.
The congress passes the laws. The presidency enforces the laws. The judiciary interprets and assures those laws follow the constitution. And the press is as important to our democracy as the other three.
The press includes newspapers, television and radio networks, online outlets and other reporters of news that are in a position to investigate, uncover and report the truth. It is not the job of the press to support one position or another. News is the reporting of facts, whether we like the facts or not.
A healthy press includes both investigative reporting and editorials. Opinion is important, too, because it gives us another view to consider when making decisions. Opinion also helps us gauge how others are thinking. But opinion is not news.
Newspapers often have a news section that covers local, state, national and world news. They may also have an opinion section with editorials, letters and columns like this one.
Without the press reporting the news as news, we put ourselves in the position of allowing our government to mislead us, to paint an inaccurate picture and to move our democracy to something that no longer represents all of the people.
We elect congress, our representative and senators. We also elect our president. Our supreme court is nominated by the president and confirmed by the congress. But we depend on a free press to report factual news, so that we can make the informed decisions requisite to holding the feet of our elected officials to the fire.
That is why the press is essential to shaping the politics and future of our nation.
Although we have laws in place to safeguard the rights of the press, there is no guarantee that we will continue to have access to factually accurate and newsworthy content. And that’s the rub.
There are more media outlets today than ever. Each competes for advertising and circulation revenues. Survival for many is in doubt. More and more readers are expecting to get their content for free as they turn to bloggers, free social media and those who would twist the facts into scenarios that please their readerships.
We are discovering that lies are cheap. Truth requires sacrifice and does not come easily or inexpensively. Respected and investigative news outlets and their experienced personnel are dwindling with no one in line to replace them.
That is today’s reality.
Meanwhile, there is continuing disagreement among the congress, the courts and the president as to what should or should not be reported. Gag orders are increasingly prevalent as one entity or another decides that they do not like what is being cast as news. Each of these legs of our democracy have their own way of looking at the facts of any situation.
One reason can be that representatives, senators and the president are looking to accomplish the goals of those who elected them – and those goals differ from region to region and from group of voters to group of voters. Facts can get in the way of promised goals.
The bottom line is that the American people are turning from traditional media and ignoring the role that media has played since the birth of our nation. The press which has served as a watchdog is sick and dying.
This allows the truth to be… well.. stretched, abused, misstated, maybe even ignored. That’s where a free press should be able to step in and shine their light on the truth. That is essential to our American democracy.
Some on the right and some on the left are using blogs, facebook and other social media to stop what they believe to be alternative facts that do not align with their particular beliefs and philosophies. They would like nothing better than to shut down the press, to hear only their own interpretations of what they want to be the news.
These folks express their frustration, even anger, about what they read or hear. They want to read and hear more that is in agreement with their own personal beliefs. That is OK provided it is opinions that they rail against and not the news.
The free press is guaranteed by the Constitution and was projected by our founding fathers as the fourth pillar of our way of government. It is what guarantees us the information to make decisions based on facts, so we can be assured that all of our voices are heard.
I am frightened by a weakened press and by those who would take advantage of that weakness. You should be as well.
Bill Gindlesperger is a central Pennsylvanian, Dickinson College graduate, Pennsylvania System Of Higher Education (PASSHE) Governor, former Shippensburg University Trustee, awarded numerous patents, as well as Founder and Chairman of eLynxx Solutions. eLynxx provides cloud-software for automated sourcing and managing of mail marketing, swag, packaging, and all things print. He is a board member, campaign advisor, successful entrepreneur, published author and commentator. He can be reached at Bill.Gindlesperger@eLynxx.com.
