The Beacon believes President Donald Trump’s recent bans of news outlets from the White House press pool to be antidemocratic and in violation of Americans’ First Amendment rights.
Last month, when the Associated Press, one of the world’s leading news agencies, refused to change the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” in its stylebook, Trump immediately banned the AP reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One.
Two weeks later, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that, moving forward, the White House would choose who covers Trump at major events rather than the White House Correspondents Association, which had been organizing White House coverage for over a century. This is the first time in history a president has reserved the right to choose who is allowed in the esteemed White House press pool.
Trump’s allies have also engaged in restricting opposition in the press. Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos nixed the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris a few weeks before the election, breaking a tradition dating to 1976. Following that, Bezos announced that the opinions section of the Post would publish only opinions supporting “personal liberties and free markets” and ignore opposing viewpoints.
Press restrictions aim to shield the American people from news that goes against and challenges Trump’s agenda, leading to ignorance, misinformation, and propaganda. This also limits the ability of the media to hold his administration accountable, constraining the power of our democracy. “Journalists must be free and independent to effectively serve their audiences as a watchdog over government, whether that’s Congress or high school,” Josh Moore, assistant director of the Washington-based Student Press Law Center, told The Beacon.
The censorship of the press cannot become a norm. As student journalists, we believe it is essential to continue to write about the truth and share a variety of perspectives now more than ever. “This is a moment where journalists need to show no fear, and it’s a moment where independent journalism, including student journalism, really has to step up because corporate journalism is not meeting the mark,” Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy said in an interview with The Beacon last week.
Student press associations must stand together to make an impact and protect our journalistic rights. “Student journalists’ rights are already vulnerable, which is why we must all stand firm in supporting a free student press,” Moore said.
As part of our goal of amplifying student voices, we pledge to continue following our mission in the face of adversity. When other journalism communities are being forced to silence their voices, we stand true to represent every voice in our school and community at large. We call on other student publications to do the same.
