Professors from 23 of the most important schools of journalism in the United States have issued an open letter regarding recent arrests and violence toward journalists. This violence against the media could not come at a worse time. And, people, where without the media will you get information you need to make good decisions in your lives?

Doing Their Jobs

When did this violence occur, you say? The incidents happened during the recent protests demanding racial justice. The journalists were not part of the protests. They were just doing their jobs–reporting the news. “We want a nation where the next generation of journalists, the students we are now training, can do their jobs in a culture of respect for the First Amendment,” the professors wrote.

“We call on governors, mayors, state lawmakers, city councils, prosecutors, police chiefs and police union officials, to hold the perpetrators of all attacks against journalists to account, and to ensure such attacks stop immediately.”

86 Physical Attacks, 54 by Police

The U.S. Press Freedom Trackers notes that between May 26 and June 10, 86 physical attacks were perpetrated upon journalists, 54 of them by police. More than 50 journalists were arrested. And there were scores of incidents where reporters said they were hit by teargas, pepper spray and rubber bullets. Can these possibly be isolated incidents?

Press Represents the Public

I went into journalism in the 1960s because I felt, naively, that if society’s ills were pointed out through good journalism, society would fix those ills. Now some 60 years later, I see some but not total change. The protests needed covering–the informational parts along with the rioting and looting. The message of the mostly peaceful protesters needs to be heard and heeded. It’s already 400 years too late.

Do People Care About the Media Now?

At a time when 25 percent of all newspapers have died in the past 15 years, one wonders how much people care about the news and the media any more. I hear the criticisms, mostly of television news, though many criticize other media as well. Thanks in large part to attacks from the current administration, these recent attacks have occurred in an atmosphere that is either indifferent to or condones violence against the press.

Press Serves the Public Just as Government Does

Please remember that the journalists at these protests represent the interests of the same public that government also serves. Additionally, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the press acts as a check both on government and on rogue behavior among private citizens. Never has such oversight been more needed than today.

Knight Professors

The open letter was written by professors funded through the Knight Foundation who teach and mentor at colleges throughout the country. They noted journalists of color face particular challenges. “Their jobs ask them to remain dispassionate in the face of attacks that are all too personal to themselves and their loved ones,” the open letter noted.

Media Consolidation and Dissolution

As noted above, one quarter os all newspapers have died in the past 15 years. At least 1,800 communities that had local news outlets in 2004 did not have its own news outlet at the start of 2020. Couple that with the attacks, and it is clear that the people who keep their eyes on the news for us are in trouble. But let’s hold their hands as they try to report on our efforts to reshape society for the better.