Скачать или смотреть Part 2 | A Free People Need a Free Press | by A.G. Sulzberger,

Extract from the essay that was originally delivered as a talk at the Kellogg Institute at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs on Tuesday.

By A.G. Sulzberger.

"The Times will meet whatever comes by continuing to seek the truth and help people understand the world. We will do that work, as we have through every presidential administration since Abraham Lincoln, without fear or favor. If the press climate continues to deteriorate, The Times will draw on the lessons we’ve gained reporting from places without the safety net of established press freedoms. Places where our colleagues face constant surveillance or ever-present risks to their physical safety.

We know how to operate in tough conditions. And we’ve been drawing on those experiences to prepare our journalists for a more difficult environment at home, as well. Things like taking enhanced precautions to protect our sources in the face of surveillance and leak investigations. Maintaining pristine business practices to reduce exposure to abusive tax and regulatory enforcement. Increasing the budget for safety, security and litigation nearly tenfold.

Another critical step is supporting other news organizations when they face pressure. Our industry has a long history of competing on stories but uniting on the cause of press freedom. That will be necessary to avoid the divide-and-conquer strategy we’ve seen employed against law firms and universities. But in this moment of low trust for the press we also need to do more to explain why the broader public should care as well, regardless of their politics.

As we take all those steps, we must hold fast to our independence. This is a point that Andras Petho, a courageous Hungarian investigative journalist, has emphasized in describing his experience reporting in the face of relentless government pressure. He warns that nothing makes autocrats happier than reporters who portray themselves as crusaders against the regime — or victims of it. It provides ammunition for those in power who wish to portray journalists not as disinterested truth tellers but as members of the political opposition animated by partisan aims.

“If you act like an advocate, you should not be surprised if you become viewed as such,” Petho has said. “I’m not saying that nobody should speak up. On the contrary, I hope that lots of people — human rights defenders, advocacy groups or simply just average social media users — will do it. But if you are in the news business, your greatest possible contribution to saving democracies is doing your job and doing it well.”

Put another way: Democracy assigns different roles to all of us. The role of the press is to arm everyone else with the information and context they need to understand and meet the moment.

Without a free press, how will people know if their government is acting legally and in their interest? How will people know if their leaders are telling the truth? How will people know if their institutions are acting to the benefit of society? How will people know if their freedoms are being sustained, defended and championed — or eroded by forces that seek to replace truth and reality with propaganda and misinformation?

A strong and independent press is essential to self-rule, to personal liberty, to national greatness. That once radical insight, made law in the First Amendment, anchored a centuries-long, bipartisan tradition of supporting the rights of journalists. If broken, a free and independent press won’t be easy to rebuild.

As the free press and democracy more broadly face this period of pressure, I’d urge you to support both by seeking out news sources worthy of your trust. News sources that produce original, independent reporting in the public interest and that have a record of challenging power, no matter who wields it. Make room for this kind of journalism in your lives and routines. Read. Listen. Watch. Engaging with the news is one of the simplest, most essential acts of citizenship. This is not the time to tune out".

#freepress #democracy #dictatorship