Swallowing Hard Truths

Thomas Jefferson believed a free press was one of the core tenants of American democracy and those who were afraid of facts were often the loudest enemies of the press. Our founding fathers wrote in the US Constitution the need for freedom of the press. US press freedom is protected by none other than the First Amendment. This amendment is to prevent the government from interfering with the distribution of information and opinions. And that, sir, is no joke. Speaking of jokes, guess who will be Washington to hold another camp pain rally? Washington, Michigan, that is. If this is his idea of a joke, it is a bad one and the sooner @POTUS realizes the free press is here to stay, the better we will be.

As long as the news is factually accurate and deal with legitimate public issues, America's freedom of the press provides the right—even the duty to publish them, regardless of whether or not they portray any administration favorably. 

Some truths are harder to swallow than others. There have been metaphors like a Rocky, or Bad Marriage to characterize a relationship between reporters and officials. Apparently, it takes a real expert to know about these things.

As a long-time journalist who has attended White House Correspondents' Dinners, I am not surprised that @realDonalTrump has once again opted not to show because he claims the free press is fake, Does he only like real people who praise him, who continue filling the swamp and keep taking money from the poor and giving it to rich people like himself? Although do we know how rich he really is? Is he afraid the real truth will come out?

Officials and reporters come into conflict when the press publishes stories that officials believe should have remained secret or when stories contain information that might upset delicate negotiations within the government or with other nations. These issues have been scathing in their criticisms of journalists. 

However, in this day and age of Twitter tantrums, a competitive press finds it almost increasingly difficult to exercise discretion and a sense of public responsibility. This is the second year in a row that a sitting, or perhaps more fittingly a golfing and the TV watching president has unilaterally boycotted this annual black-tie event, which has been attended by every president for 37 years. The last president to skip one was Ronald Reagan, who as history will record was recovering from an assassination attempt in 1981. 

For those who have had just about enough of the DC Drama, we offer the following. over.doseofnews.com