SATURDAY THOUGHTS : THE NEWS

My late father always said, “You need to know what’s going on in the world.” 

He watched morning, noon, and evening news on television, and insisted on keeping his Washington Post subscription. Daily, even when his eyesight was fading, he wanted and read the entire newspaper. “Where’s my paper? Did the paper come today?”

It was how he started his day at the breakfast table. He’d ask, “You want a piece of this paper?” I knew better than to ask for a section he hadn’t read yet.

In our house, newspaper articles were used for everything from learning about current events, and noted African-Americans (We had to keep those articles in scrapbooks), to vocabulary building, mastering grammar and sentence structure. My Mom taught English and Humanities. The newspaper was a classroom resource.

When you were raised by parents who were avid readers and newspaper subscribers, you know how they trusted their daily newspaper to keep them informed. The newspaper was credible, unbiased, and fearless. 

The inability, or unwillingness of publications to endorse a presidential candidate, particularly one that, on its front page, reminded readers, “Democracy dies in darkness”, makes you wonder about the state of journalism, and pressure on journalists. Pertinent information is behind paywalls these days, and the standards to which people are held, depend on who they are. Fortunately, independent outlets are cropping up, everywhere, boasting their commitment to unbiased, honest coverage. 

I imagine my Dad would have something to say about it all:

 “If you won’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

“If nobody else is doing the right thing, YOU do it.”

“Some people don’t want a leader. They want somebody they can tell what to do.”

I suppose people already know who they’re voting for, and perhaps won’t be swayed by any endorsement, but it is good to know where individuals, businesses, and organizations stand—particularly those that have enjoyed your patronage. Truth and integrity really matter in a climate of disinformation and outright lies. 

“What the president never accepted, nor even clearly understood (as most people don't understand), is the autonomy editors have, and must have, to produce a good newspaper. I used to describe it as liberty, not license.” ~Katharine Graham