There has been discussion on all of the weekend news shows about our 45th President's attack on the "fake news" and his unorthodox way of handling the press. As a social studies teacher, we have to deal with questions from children about these very topics. I like to approach them with my "what's old is new" way of deciphering information. I think about to John Adams' administration and the Alien and Sedition Acts when it was illegal to speak out against the government in newspapers and several newspaper editors ended up in jail. For the sake of SC history, Thomas Cooper ended up in jail. These acts prompted Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to write the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions that started the states rights movement. This movement was a sleeping giant that eventually led to the Civil War once John C. Calhoun picked it up and took it to the next level with nullification and secession theory.
What can happen in 2017? It all depends on the American people. We have to learn how to listen objectively to the news. The media is for our protection and is designed to keep us informed. Democracy is all about holding each branch accountable. If 45 doesn't want us to know what goes on behind the gates of the White House, that's too bad. It's okay to dislike the press, but it's quite another to claim that they are "the enemy of the American People." Our free press should be free of political influence and although it isn't, they have done a great job of pulling the covers off when needed. Although closely related, PR is a different discipline from journalism. Journalists are looking for the story and the truth. The Public Relations firm is looking for the spin. We accept both in our democracy because we have the freedom of speech. Will we always know the complete and total truth? Perhaps not, but at least it isn't whitewashed suppression like some of the communist and authoritarian regimes out there. If we think about John Adams, we know he was a one term president that was overly concerned about his image in the press. He had an axe to grind. He was a ONE TERM President. Do we perceive that 45 will make it the entire term? I don't believe so, but stranger things have happened in the last 6 months. John McCain stated that every dictatorship in history began with an attack on the press. Some say 45 (a bully) needs an opponent, so he's taking on the press. Will he be successful? Should he be successful? USA Today is reporting that Shepard Smith from Fox news has defected from the 45 honeymoon camp. They presented tweets from Trump calling for his resignation and his blind followers echoing the sentiment. Is this mob rule and unstable leadership? hmmm.... What are your thoughts on this latest "crisis in the White House?" We'll be monitoring the situation.
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AuthorBianca Woodard is a social studies teacher at Midland Valley High School. She's an Apple Distinguished Educator (2017) and a Microsoft Certified Trainer. Archives
April 2019
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