President Donald Trump stirs his supporters into a frenzy at campaignstyle public appearances, urging them to boo and hurl insults at members of the press covering the rallies.
He uses “enemy of the people” to discredit the news media, cast doubt on the veracity of reporting and turn the public against news organizations.
The Boston Globe recently called on newspapers across the country to publish editorials reacting to President Trump’s “enemy of the people” mantra. The campaign, which The Herald Bulletin participated in via an editorial published Thursday, was intended to extol the values of the First Amendment.
Along with the Thursday editorial, our newspaper posted a poll at heraldbulletin. com, asking, “Is the press ‘the enemy of the people,’ as President Donald Trump has said?”
When we looked at the results of the poll at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, 324 people had responded, with 46 percent answering “yes,” 51 percent saying “no,” and 3 percent “not sure.”
A reader emailed me, suggesting that the “yes” and “no” results were transposed based on the results she had seen on our website earlier Thursday afternoon. I responded that the published results were accurate, that more people had responded since she saw the results.
People can continue to respond to our polls even after the results are published in the paper and can view the up-do-date results. As of 10 a.m. Sunday, 339 people (an additional 15 since Thursday evening) had done so, with “no” responses edging upward to 52 percent.
The number of respondents — almost half — who agree with President Trump is distressing.
Our journalists and those at other mainstream newspapers strive to be “the friend of the people,” not the enemy. Our efforts are focused on telling the most important and interesting stories in our communities. And we’re determined, for the public’s benefit, to hold government officials accountable for their actions, policies and stewardship of tax dollars.
So, how could so many of our poll participants readily agree with President Trump’s assessment? The full answer to that question would be deeply complex, bridging political ideologies, economics, social trends, news cycles and many other factors.
Certainly, the president’s popularity among many in Madison County influences some to view the press in the terms he expresses. Any enemy of the president, the thought process goes, is an enemy of the people.
But there are more enduring reasons why a lot of folks have come to view the news media as the enemy. Principally, when the media reports the news, it often causes collateral damage to the reputation of those involved. People remember when this happens to them or to friends or family.
There’s also the widespread impression that news media capitalize on tragedies, swooping in like vultures to feed on the bad news.
These criticisms of the press are not without justification. Sometimes journalists and news organizations are insensitive to the plight of victims and other citizens.
We’re constantly seeking to find the best ways to report the news without causing undue harm.
What’s the right balance to strike? I asked that of our news staff recently in relation to details of an alleged sex crime. I received several different answers, each thoughtful and well-reasoned.
Like our journalists, local folks have a variety of different answers to that question, too.
We seek to use our best judgment, while keeping on eye on our overarching responsibility — reporting the news for the benefit of the public.