I tend to start off with the same “ice breaker” whenever I’m tasked with public speaking, which is usually for work.
If you’ve ever seen someone hand me a microphone you’ve probably heard me say it: “I’m a journalist, so forgive me,” I’ll warn. “I’m a better writer than I am a speaker.”
It’s a nervous mantra that comes from an honest place. I’ve always been more comfortable sitting at a keyboard than standing under a spotlight, even though I spent my first year of college as a theater major.
I enjoyed performing but ultimately it wasn’t for me. My love for journalism had preceded my interest in the stage and I quickly realized the written word let me impact audiences in other ways.
I occasionally lean on that theater background, usually when I’m serving as a panelist or moderator, but my default is that of a journalist. An observer who contemplates and relays the news but isn’t a part of it.
My preference for the news not being the news is something I thought about a lot last year. Largely because of Donald Trump.
It’s clear to me that the man has always coveted favor from and feared the free press, which strengthens his greatest enemy: the truth. That’s evident in how he attacked it during his first term, working to weaken our Democracy for four years.
Like every serious journalist — and arguably, American — I knew Trump’s assault on the truth would continue in a second term. I was just a little blindsided by how much help he’s had this time.
The Poynter Institute, a global nonprofit working to strengthen ethical journalism, confirms things have been bleak. Trump’s assault on the free press began just nine hours into his second term.
“Trump and his administration have launched a barrage of attacks on the press, both in the United States and abroad,” they noted Dec. 22. “Presidential administrations have always had adversarial relationships with the press, but … journalists have been harassed, laid off, detained, deported, investigated, sued and assaulted under the current administration.”
Reporters Without Borders now ranks the U.S. 57th out of 180 countries for our domestic press freedoms, they added. That’s our lowest ranking ever.
At the president’s request, the federal government also clawed back $1.07 billion from public broadcasting last year. Meanwhile, Trump’s version of the Federal Communications Commission has weaponized its regulatory power.
The now-partisan agency has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and served as a direct threat to the First Amendment since Trump took office. Jimmy Kimmel is proof.
Perhaps the most troubling development, however, has been corporate capitulation. Major media organizations have paid $32 million in legal settlements to the president — hoping to quell his insatiable fury for the facts — and CBS appears to entirely have bent the knee.
The network’s turn toward Trump began when the president frivolously sued its parent company, then Paramount, over a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. The legal battle coincided with their hopes to merge with Skydance.
Such a merger required FCC approval and Paramount ultimately settled with the president. CBS then canceled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” after its host condemned the move, and things have only gotten worse at the network.
Paramount Skydance, as CBS’ overlord is now known, appointed Bari Weiss as its editor-in-chief in October. More overt censorship began just two months later.
Just hours before airing a report on Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador, Weiss pulled the plug on the piece. It had been completed and formally reviewed, including by the network’s legal division, but she said it didn’t “advance the ball.” Why? The Trump administration declined comment.
Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, to her journalistic credit, condemned the measure in an email to colleagues. She said it was “not an editorial decision, it [was] a political one.”
I have no doubt that Trump’s attacks on the free press will continue, likely resulting in more corporate capitulation, and I encourage you to respond in kind. The best way to do that is by supporting local, independent press outlets like Watermark Out News. It’s more important than ever.
In this issue we focus on another organization working to safeguard the truth: Equality Florida. We speak with Stratton Pollitzer, their new executive director.
In news, Orlando begins removing artifacts from Pulse. We also preview St Pete Pride’s new fundraiser and Tampa Bay’s United Mural Project.
Watermark Out News is proud to be your LGBTQ+ news source. Please stay safe, stay informed and enjoy this latest issue
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