The press is not the enemy of the people

We are not, as the leader of our nation has labeled us, “the enemy of the people.”

Despite President Trump’s repeated, often belligerent bellicose attacks on the free press, we remain as committed as ever to delivering fact-based quality journalism about the Petaluma community. News organizations around the country are having to fight back against this Orwellian assault on a right that is enshrined in the Constitution.

Led by the Boston Globe, newspaper editorial pages nationwide today are condemning Trump’s “dirty war on the free press.” It is a war that he will not win, yet it features many of the same tactics that dictators before him have employed - labeling as “fake” any coverage that is not obsequiously flattering, banning unfavorable media outlets from covering events, whipping crowds into a frenzy to threaten journalists.

We stand in solidarity with our fellow journalists who continue to seek and expose the truth for the public good.

The Argus-Courier is the oldest continually operated business in Petaluma. This week marks our 163rd year of bringing readers all the news and information from our fair city. As the local election season gets underway, we are again planning for robust coverage of the city council, mayoral and school board races, including vetting the candidates, publishing editorial endorsements and hosting candidate forums.

No other source will provide this service of keeping you informed on local issues. Likewise, national media organizations such as the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN - which have borne the brunt of the president’s hateful rhetoric - are keeping you informed on important issues facing our country. They do not deserve the assault from the president.

Fortunately, our free press was built to withstand such assailing. We will continue to do what we do best - reporting the news accurately and fairly. And we will continue to thrive long after this bloviating president is out of office.