Journalism Is Now More Important Than Ever

We are living in a time when the President of the United States calls any news organization whose reporting he doesn’t like “fake news.” When news organizations struggle to remain relevant when the internet enables that news to travel around the planet in milliseconds. With all the options for news, few are willing to spend any money to support them.

This morning I donated $50 to The Guardian, a paper headquartered in London with a major U.S. presence in New York and is one I read almost every day. Their journalism is top-notch and they’ve revealed numerous important stories like the National Security Agency’s PRISM program and the Panama Papers.

My support has also been continual for my local paper, the Minneapolis StarTribune, but also to the phenomenal New York Times and The Washington Post, organizations that have continued to demand truth from the powerful, report on them when they go astray, and help keep us on track as a nation.

I absolutely believe that a free press is vital to our democracy and freedom. The founders of the United States of America knew how important freedom of the press was to democracy, so they made the very first amendment to the Constitution one that would protect it.

Without the press — and I’m including television and internet-based news too — who would hold accountable those who would seize power? The ones in power who seemingly delight in telling us untruths, make up their own facts, and lie to our faces like our current administration does?

It made me realize that I have to vote with my pocketbook. Think about the news organizations you read often and make a donation or subscribe. You don’t want to rely on some blog or, God forbid, what some government mouthpiece wants you to believe. You want the truth. We all need the truth.

Democracy will die without truth. Take a moment right now to choose one or two news organization and donate something to them.