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America needs us on the front lines
Letter from the Editor Dear Reader,
I’m an ardent supporter and defender of first responders.
Those who protect and defend us. Those who run toward the disaster, assuming the personal risks that come with it.
Those who serve a purpose larger than themselves, for the good of their communities and the social system that holds us together securely.
Police officers and firefighters and EMTs and nurses. Military personnel, doctors and nurses, public service workers.
And journalists.
Yes – reporters and photographers and videographers. More now than ever, in the unknowns of a pandemic and the tumult of social justice activism, America needs us on the front lines.
I say this for two reasons: First, MLive has been involved in two high-profile incidents this year where police doing their jobs impacted our ability to do OUR jobs. On May 30, one of our photographers covering civil unrest in Detroit was shot with riot pellets from close range by a police officer. And on Saturday, Aug. 15, one of our reporters was dragged to the ground and arrested while providing live coverage of clashes between Proud Boy members and counter-protesters.
Second, there is a growing, alarming disrespect and disregard for press freedoms – rights that are enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. So far this year, according to tracking by news industry organizations, there have been more than 700 aggressions against journalists covering the Black Lives Matters protests. Nearly 60 journalists have been arrested, and another 180 have been assaulted by authorities.
People, it’s not like we are just showing up on the scene in 2020. Nellie Bly traveled alone around the globe in 1888 to share the wonders of an exotic world to rapt readers back home. Ernie Pyle died on the front lines in World War II sending back dispatches about what citizen soldiers were facing in the fight against fascism. Journalists who covered the 9/11 attacks have gotten sick and died, just like firefighters and police.
Every time I write about press freedoms and my journalists’ commitment to doing their jobs, I get some negative responses. One common theme is “Don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back,” and another is “Get out of the way of police.”
Look: Working journalists aren’t looking for praise. We don’t need a Journalists’ Lives Matter meme. We just demand the right to do our jobs with respect for what the law – the Constitution – says we are entitled and expected to do for this country’s democracy.
Here’s the thing – journalists and other first responders share circumstances. I started as a reporter, and I have been at many a tragic scene – devastating fires, fatal car accidents, slayings. I always appreciated access and respected the work the responders were doing, but also always sensed that there was a mutual, professional respect for what I was doing, and why it mattered.
I wasn’t “in the way.” I was the eyes and ears for our readers, our communities. So you could see how our public agencies were working, so you could share the grief of your neighbors and so we could come together to help those in need.
I was writing the history of a community, and literally helping keep us all on the same page. In a chaotic world, our journalists are doing essential work to keep you informed now, and help future generations understand what we went through, how we changed, and what we learned.
One lesson I hope we learn is that what our country’s founders envisioned – making sure professional journalists are free to work without harassment or harm – continues to be as essential as putting out a fire.
Because there are a lot of fires burning in America right now, and we’re going to continue running toward them.
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Editor's note: I value your feedback to my columns, story tips and your suggestions on how to improve our coverage. Let me know how MLive helps you, and how we can do better. Please feel free to reach out by emailing me at editor@mlive.com.
John Hiner Executive Editor Vice President of Content Mlive Media Group
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