As a journalism school graduate and communications pro, I’m a longtime news junkie. My team and I spend countless hours supporting press freedom through our work on Press Uncuffed and Not A Crime. But I’ll admit my commitment to being a paid subscriber to the news outlets I consume every day has been spotty at best. I know I’m not alone. News organizations made it easy for us to become apathetic about paying for content.
But this election has made me worry about the future of the news business on a whole new level. So many people are up in arms (literally and figuratively) about the Second Amendment and then seem indifferent or even antagonistic toward the First Amendment.
Here’s a refresher:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
If you made informed decisions at the polls today, regardless of your political positions, chances are you relied at least in part on a news outlet for information. My husband and I already have a digital subscription to The New York Times. Today, I added The Washington Post, WNYC and my community paper, The Village Green, to the list of outlets that will receive our ongoing financial support. These organizations and their hard-working, often underpaid and understaffed news teams worked tirelessly to keep the candidates honest and to educate us on the issues. We need them during election cycles … and always.
Just look at the many countries that don’t support freedom of the press and jail or kill journalists who try to expose government corruption. Then consider whether you value journalism enough to spend a few bucks a month for it.