We are living in a crazy timeline right now.
People are getting “disappeared” over protesting – a right guaranteed in the 1st Amendment. The freedom of the press seems to only be provided to those “friendly” with the government. Only outlets sympathetic to the current administration are picked to cover official White House events. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reconsidering restrictions on toxic emissions from power plants, reconsidering laws based on information from the 2009 Endangerment Finding and getting rid of restrictions on how much soot a place can create.
None of this should be normal or OK and, understandably, you might be worried about what the next unpredictable actions of the U.S. are.
Safe to say, many are confused and wishing that these things were not happening right now. Take it from us, where our profession and the career we love is under attack. For a while we only had to worry about billionaires buying newsrooms to twist narratives to their liking, reporters not getting healthcare or the pay they deserve and the growth of news droughts. How many journalists had current events on their 2025 bingo card?
Even if trust in the media is low, we need to keep doing the honest work of reporting things how they are. No matter how much the press is oppressed, it will not be silenced. When big institutions fall, smaller outlets pick up what’s left and continue the necessary work.
This type of thinking should not be restricted to just journalists. You, the reader, play a vital role in fighting for what’s right and standing up to the creation of an oligarchy. Try as the rich may, the power of the people cannot be restricted 100%.
Be annoying. Be loud. Be at the front of the action so you can do what’s right for the people around you. No more beating around the bush – when our current administration uses imagery that is shrouded in hate, we get to call it what it is. Yes, using an upside-down pink triangle as an anti-LGBT symbol does make you a fascist.
And when people in this administration’s ranks and friends of this administration seem to keep “sieg heiling” in public and in front of thousands of people, what else can you call it but fascism? If you believe the Nazi salute is just a joke, or if you believe this administration’s public displays of the salute are simply out of context, then we encourage you to try doing the same motion in front of your classmates or coworkers. Suddenly you don’t want to? Shocking.
The job of the news is to show what’s going on, tell the facts and that is it. Reporters are charged with exploring the world and capturing the voices of people from all walks of life. This is diametrically oppposed to both fascism and the far-right — labels that are not mutually exclusive.
Fascism and far-right ideology thrives from creating the “other.” These ideologies need to create scapegoats out of marginialized groups to justify the tyrannical policies they pass. In the name of “safety,” this administration is gaining more and more centralized power.
Tyranny, fascism and the far-right are incompatible with journalism and democracy.
It is not unfair to be confused or scared for what the future holds. When both major political parties abandon basic morals and make good people bow down to tyranny, all we can hope for is class solidarity. Your upbringing doesn’t matter right now – oppression should be fought by all, including you.
And if you have a problem with a reactionary editorial, then maybe consider writing to your congress members to stop supporting abhorrent actions. Destroying the foundation of what the U.S. stands upon is not “fair,” and we do not have any obligation to be “fair” to fascists. Other student publications hold similar viewpoints as us – it’s just time to put those feelings out there. Now it’s your turn.
