(Editorial cartoon by Randy Bish, Bishtoons)
“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” — Thomas Jefferson
Today we salute the journalists of the world who are held to the high standard of bringing truth to power. In our current climate of misinformation, we can still rely on these journalists to bring us the truth. While these noble patriots are not always correct, unlike internet trolls, they are held accountable. When they make mistakes, retractions or corrections are issued, many times including apologies. We must protect them and their sources if we are to remain “the shining light on the hill.”
The internet has brought so much good: We have massive information at our fingertips. It has also brought conspiracy theories, promoted hate and spread outright lies, going unchecked and leading the easily manipulated down rabbit holes that, for many, are incredibly believable and hard to climb out of.
Many of you — probably most — no longer get your information from a printed newspaper. However, every news outlet has embraced the internet and you can subscribe via online. We need to support these outlets however we can, so there will be a place for real journalism to ward off the lies of the internet.
Kudos to our local “daily,” The Bulletin. Their journey since the rise of the internet has been difficult. While I don’t always agree with their editorial views, I appreciate the fact that they are still grinding and bringing important stories to light that would otherwise be ignored. Even our local “weekly,” The Source, has some good journalists — and again, even though I’m not always on board with their editorial views, they try to hold our leaders accountable.
As for Cascade Business News, a powerful local business leader and friend once told me, “CBN is a snapshot in time.” I agree. CBN has been and still is a “business journal” as it should be. Moving forward, we will continue to “enhance and promote the economic vitality of Central Oregon,” just as we have done since 1994.
Please find your way to support journalists and journalism.
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” — Benjamin Franklin
