This $3 newspaper (and hundreds across the country) may be excellent for lining birdcages or wrapping fish, but it may also be the superhero that saves our democracy. 

Freedom of the press, including newspapers and magazines, online media, and television, is baked into our Constitution’s First Amendment. “Congress shall make no law …. abridging the freedom of the press…” It guarantees media can express opinions and report the news without government interference.

The United States has a long-standing tradition of a free and vigorous press acting as watchdog of government officials and business leaders. They ask questions, get answers, and accurately inform the pubic about wrongdoing, holding those in power accountable. 

For years, Trump has called the press the “enemy of the people.” Since assuming office, he’s worked with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) chairman, Brendan Carr, to threaten, investigate, and sue media companies he sees as political adversaries. The FCC, which controls licenses of broadcasters, is an independent agency supposedly free from political influence and required by law to operate in the public interest. Trump has put multiple independent agencies, including the FCC, under his control by requiring they report to the White House Office of Management and Budget and firing several independent agency leaders. Carr is using regulatory processes against certain licensees in extraordinary ways that reflect Trump’s direct requests. The FCC has gone after outlets like NBC, ABC, and CBS. Trump sued the Wall Street Journal for $10 billion for defamation. ABC paid $16 million for a mis-statement by one of its journalists. Though the lawsuit lacked merit, they paid. (ABC was angling for FCC approval for a large merger, which they got after payment.) The social media company, Meta, paid Trump $25 million for removing him from Facebook after the January 6 riot. Taken individually, these actions seem harmless. Together, they’re an alarming picture of deteriorating freedom of the press.

Trump pushed stripping $1.1 billion in government funding from NPR and PBS, accusing them of failing to create “fair, accurate, and unbiased reporting.” Many people, especially in rural areas, depend on public radio as their only source of news and information. This action clearly violates the First Amendment. Government officials should not be able to withhold funds designated by Congress just because they disapprove of their coverage. 

The press’s job is to ask hard questions and hold the powerful accountable. Trump doesn’t want that. He’s limited access to the White House to certain members of the press. He barred the Associated Press from the White House press pool for refusing to use “Gulf of America” (Gulf of Mexico) in its reporting. For 100 years, the White House Correspondents Association controlled the White House Press Pool. By ceding this power, Trump gets to decide which journalists and media outlets are part of the press corps. If you’ve listened to so-called “journalists” asking Trump softball questions about Melania’s hats, many aren’t risking Trump’s wrath doing their jobs.  

The recent silencing of comedian Jimmy Kimmel and the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” who regularly criticize the current administration, illustrates Trump’s thin skin. Comedians have long criticized government leaders for laughs. President Lyndon Johnson, a target of the Smothers Brothers, wrote, “It is part of the price of leadership of the great and free nation to be the target of clever satirists. You have given the gift of laughter to our people. May we never grow so somber or self-important that we fail to appreciate the humor in our lives.”

Government threats and retribution against the media are favorite tools of authoritarians around the world. Without stopping this chilling of our free press, these tools threaten media independence in the United States and impede our ability as citizens to participate in democracy by voting and petitioning the government.

Which brings us to this little hometown newspaper you’re reading. It’s easy to see how the New York Times, shows like “Sixty  Minutes,” and major media networks play a role in exposing corruption and help holding government accountable. Major media recently exposed that Trump’s White House “border czar” accepted $50,000 in cash from agents posing as business executives looking to secure security contracts. Trump has shut down this investigation, though Tom Holman hasn’t denied taking the money. 

It’s unlikely the PT Leader is going to break a major story about White House corruption. However, local news media is equally important in reporting the truth and holding local government and businesses accountable. 

We can’t enjoy a truly democratic society unless every government official and business leader from the White House to the smallest town council is held accountable. Every single one of them. 

Bobbie Hasselbring is a long-time journalist who lives in Cape George. She also leads the PT Strummers Ukulele Performance/Jam band.