We Need the Media Now More Than Ever

In an interview with the New York Times, Steven Bannon, Chief Strategist to President Trump, patronizingly said that the media should, �keep its mouth shut for a while.� He also added, along with his constituent Donald Trump, that the media is, �the opposition party.�

            These statements are terrifying.

            The media is what holds the government accountable by informing the American people about what is happening in the government. Without the free media there is no stopping the government from lying to the American people without being called out for it. Without the free media the government can tell the people whatever they want, and we the people would have no way to know if what they are saying is true or false. Without the free media we can become brainwashed into believing that all is well, when really all is not well. Without the free media euphemisms like �Muslim registry� and �temporary ban� cannot be revealed and we will unknowingly stand by and let discrimination and maybe worse unfold. It was without the free media that the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany gained their power and controlled their people. Without the free media, the events portrayed in George Orwell�s 1984 can become reality.

            Now more than ever, we need the free press. Our newest president is unpredictable and needs to be held accountable for his actions. The fact that he has labeled the press as the enemy should scare every American, but it doesn�t. His supporters agree with him and have coined the term �mainstream media� as an insult intended to diminish credibility.

            When Donald Trump was inaugurated last week I decided to give him a chance; hoping that he would change from his campaign persona. But I was wrong. The things that Trump stated on the campaign trail were easy to dismiss since it was just campaign talk. Or that�s what it seemed. The fact that President Trump just signed an executive order on immigration just made the situation a lot more real and it�s like a nightmare just became reality.

            This is why we need the press. We need the free media to wake us up from the nightmare and make us realize reality so we can resist and stand up for American values. Now I will admit that the media is not perfect. There is a fair share of flaws and biases inherent in all media organizations. However, when you consider the scrutiny that these organizations are put under, it�s understandable.

            For the most part, the media is the main source of our information and is vital to ensure the continued existence of our democracy. Just because our president does not like what he sees and has to be held accountable for his actions does not mean he can vanquish it from society. It�s not a coincidence that the book 1984 has had a spike in sales in the past week. It shows that the American people will not let the Orwellian dystopia become reality. And because of that, I have hope.