The freedom of the press will always be stronger than one man’s insecurities

The First Amendment to the Constitution reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” 

The Record has this amendment hanging in our office as a reminder that we have the right to not be censored by the government at any point during both our academic and professional careers. 

It seems those promises no longer apply to CNN, MSNOW and Politico, who have been prohibited from the White House after their badges were confiscated by the Trump administration Saturday.  

In a joint statement on Monday, all three news organizations said they are suing to restore their access. 

“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the statement said. “Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.” 

President Trump said the ban came “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ fake news,” according to a post he made on X Friday. He added that “Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report fiction and lies when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump administration or the United States of America. Other fake news media outlets to follow.”  

The White House responded to the statement on its website, saying that direct access is a privilege, not a right, and pointed to previous instances in which Democrat administrations restricted access to Fox News and other journalists.  

“The First Amendment protects their right to publish; it does not entitle them to a hard pass, briefing room seat, or place in the press pool,” a news release from whitehouse.gov said.  

This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has been accused of violating the First Amendment. Even though it has since been blocked, this past spring the administration also implemented an executive order to ban funding for both NPR and CBS.  

The ban was inevitably ruled “unlawful and unenforceable” by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, according to PBS.  

An amicus brief was released on Wednesday showing support for CNN, MSNOW and Politico in their lawsuit. The brief was signed by 49 media outlets, including The New York Times, The Associated Press and Reuters, among others. This show of support comes in addition to the joint decision of the U.S. television network press pool, which includes Fox News, to suspend their coverage of the White House.  

The First Amendment should never be used as a weapon by the White House to control what is being said about them. When the media is prevented from fulfilling their obligation of reporting the facts, the general population of the United States suffers.  

There is a difference between “fake news” and news that paints someone in a bad light. The beauty of having diverse representation in the media is that it provides people with many different opinions and takes on current events. “Fake news” is the intentional misconstruction and distribution of information. If these publications were truly “fake news” outlets, they would be in breach of every journalistic code of ethics. However, CNN, MSNOW and Politico are all well-established and renowned publications who have absolutely nothing to gain from defaming the current administration. 

As the Editorial Board of The Record, we prioritize the freedom of speech in our opinion pages weekly. Our community as well as our staff submit our own pieces for publication; we enjoy our ability to make our perspectives known on the issues that are important to us. The events that have unfolded in Washington D.C. have left us shocked at the gall of the current administration and concerned about what their next steps might be on their agenda to control what the press publishes. 

For students who may be wondering how these proceedings will have any impact on them, we urge them to reflect on how their voices have been utilized on our campuses. CSB+SJU students have effected change on campus through pieces they have sent to us for publication; the campaign that successfully petitioned administration to grant Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day without classes started from a student’s opinion submission. This is just one example of how students from our communities have expressed themselves through the avenues provided to them by their right to free speech, and our right to free press. 

If the White House is setting a precedent that they can choose to put a muzzle on any news outlet they disagree with, the day that they choose to start targeting collegiate publications like The Record might come sooner rather than later. 

For as long as we are able, during our time at CSB+SJU and long after, we will continue to exercise our right to express ourselves, and we encourage you to do the same. You never know what might come from your efforts and the change that you might have in the world.