One of the most insidious things Donald Trump has done to America is deny the legitimacy of journalism and demean its practitioners. A chief executive who defaults to attacks on media rather than responding to content serves only self-interest, not the national interest. And the words of the President have real power: four American journalists were murdered last June in Maryland by a man with longstanding grudges against the newspaper. Did Mr. Trump's anti-press rhetoric embolden Jarrod Ramos to shotgun those reporters? We can't know, but we can be certain it didn't discourage him.
Another assault on our ability to learn about the world is the rise of social media and its shocking vulnerability to manipulation by inimical parties. The fact that a foreign adversary managed to determine the outcome of the 2016 presidential election should have stimulated a national consensus and call for retaliation - but the excellent reporting from actual journalists that uncovered Russia's crucial role in undermining our election was quickly diluted by social media denials and charges of "fake news" from the man who benefited most from that subversion.
And then yesterday nearly 1,000 reporters from numerous outlets were laid off. National and local resources were severely impacted, diminishing the public's ability to know what's happening next door, in the state capitol and in DC.
Journalism, the only private sector industry explicitly protected by the Constitution, is under duress - and it's suffering.
Comes now some fresh voices in DC. At least one member of the House's freshman class has addressed the issue - and offered a solution. It's very early in the conversation, but the conversation has definitely begun. Let's keep an ear open for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She may be a newcomer to Congress but she's gotten there with ideas.
