In September, the White House revoked the press credentials of journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. President Trump and Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the action by arguing that White House access is a privilege, rather than a right, accusing the targeted news organizations of inaccurate reporting, political bias, and compromising national security. A federal judge has since ordered the administration to temporarily restore those credentials while a legal challenge filed by the news outlets moves through the courts.
On the surface, this conflict appears to be a fight between a sitting president and three major national media organizations. However, the core principles driving this issue are fundamental to every level of our democratic society. If national news outlets can be penalized today simply because an administration dislikes their coverage, local journalists could face the exact same threat tomorrow. A critical report on a city budget, a sheriff’s department, a local school district, or a county agency could just as easily lead to local officials cutting off press access to avoid public oversight.
Press freedom is not designed to shield journalists from scrutiny, criticism, or accountability. When reporters make mistakes, their work should be challenged and corrected. Rather, press freedom exists to protect the public’s fundamental right to hear more than just one official version of what its government is doing.
At JPR, we view local journalism as an essential component of the civic infrastructure in the communities we serve. Reliable reporting helps citizens understand the decisions being made in their name and funded by their tax dollars. It provides community members with the information they need to participate, ask meaningful questions, and actively engage in local civic life.
A free press does not guarantee that elected officials will always like what gets reported, nor does it ensure that every single story will be perfectly accurate or universally perceived as fair. What it does guarantee is something far more vital -- that no level of government has the authority to control public access to information by deciding which questions are allowed to be asked, which reporters can ask them, or which stories are permitted to be told. It ensures that journalists remain independent and free to pursue facts, inspect public records, question official narratives, and bring the inner workings of government out into the open.
Independent journalism acts on behalf of the public, serving as a primary tool to hold those in power accountable, investigate official claims, and illuminate how authority is exercised. Independent reporting keeps the public informed while helping ensure that government remains connected to the people it serves and whose lives are impacted by the laws and public policy it enacts.
Press freedom is not an earned privilege. It is a constitutional cornerstone of our republic—a value so central that Thomas Jefferson famously considered it more important to a free society than government itself. Protecting this public trust, both in Washington, D.C., and across our own local communities, is a collective responsibility that belongs to all of us.
