Hundreds of newspapers slam 'Fake News' attack

NEW YORK - Hundreds of US newspapers on Thursday launched a coordinated defense of press freedom and a rebuke of President Donald Trump for denouncing some media organizations as enemies of the people.

"A central pillar of President Trump's politics is a sustained assault on the free press," said the editorial by The Boston Globe, which coordinated publication among more than 350 newspapers.

"The greatness of America is dependent on the role of a free press to speak the truth to the powerful," the Globe said. "To label the press 'the enemy of the people' is as un-American as it is dangerous to the civic compact we have shared for more than two centuries."

The Portland (Maine) Press-Herald said a free and independent press is the best defense against tyranny.

Each of the newspapers, including some in states that Trump won during the 2016 presidential election, ran an editorial, which is usually an unsigned article that reflects the opinion of an editorial board and is separate from the news and other sections in a paper.

On Thursday morning, Trump took to Twitter to denounce the effort. He wrote: "THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA IS THE OPPOSITION PARTY. It is very bad for our Great Country. ... BUT WE ARE WINNING!"

Trump has frequently criticized journalists and described news reports that contradict his opinion or policy positions as fake news.

Also on Thursday, the Senate has approved a resolution affirming that "the press is not the enemy of the people".

It remains unclear how much sway the effort will have. Newspaper editorial boards overwhelmingly opposed Trump's election in 2016.

AP - Reuters

(China Daily 08/18/2018 page8)