Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin tells roughly 500 broadcasters at NAB's State Leadership Conference that they need to stand strong in the face of President Trump’s press bashing. “As local broadcast news organizations, you have a greater ability to defend the integrity of the media because your listeners and viewers trust you more than just about any other media.”
Durbin Slams Trump For News Media Attacks
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) blasted President Trump and his administration for their incessant attacks on the news media and called for a federal shield law that would protect whistleblowers who speak to reporters.
“[T]he integrity and the independence of America’s news media — your industry — is under an unprecedented series of attacks today,” he said in a speech before 500 at the NAB’s State Leadership Conference. They are coming from Russia and, more troubling, they are coming “from the top of our own government.”
Durbin presented a litany of administration’s attacks including Trump’s tweet that the media were “the enemy of the American people.”
“I’ve been in politics for a few years, and I’m used to hardball and hyperbole. But I have to tell you, that tweet from President Trump surprised and troubled me.
“The kinds of attacks on the media that we are seeing in America today would have seemed familiar 30 years ago in Ukraine or the Baltics, when those nations were still under Soviet occupation. And they would seem familiar today in authoritarian states like Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, Turkey or Hungary.”
Even though some states have adopted shield laws, a federal one is needed, he said. “Reporters must be allowed to protect confidential information and sources. Press freedom shouldn’t depend upon what state you’re in.”
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Durbin said that he and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) tried to pass a shield law in 2013, but were stymied by the Republicans.
“The legislation proposed a solution to “thorniest questions: Who would be covered? We said that federal shield protection should be limited to individuals who have been employed by media organizations, not just anyone who has posted something on Facebook or fired off a tweet.”
There is some hope for resurrection of the legislation, he said. Former talk radio host and now Vice President Mike Pence was a co-sponsor of shield legislation when he was in the House. Maybe he can persuade the President to back it, he said.
In addition to a shield law, he said, Congress should also work to preserve protections against libel suits, which Trump has said he want to weaken, and to increase, not decrease, funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting and, through it, NPR and PBS.
It is important for broadcasters to join the fight, Durbin said. “As local broadcast news organizations, you have a greater ability to defend the integrity of the media because your listeners and viewers trust you more than just about any other media.”
Comments (7)
Debra Rein says:
February 28, 2017 at 1:31 pm
President Trump’s attacks are on the national media, not local. Viewers know the difference between local and national media. Local presents facts about stories. National media slants viewpoints and attempts to make news. Being part of local media I would never stand or defend national media. What they are doing is an injustice to all citizens and the main reason the parties and people in general are so polar opposite right now and nobody will work together. As part of the media I can side with Trump in that national media is against the people. They are a problem
Gene Johnson says:
February 28, 2017 at 2:33 pm
There certainly are people who share your view, though thankfully it’s not a majority of Americans. If you think that President Trump is more honest than the “national media” as you describe it, you are entitled to your belief, but please don’t assert that the national media is against the people – a proposition for which you have no evidence and which is, quite frankly, absurd. I know others who participate in these discussions agree with you, but they too are as mistaken as you. As for local media presenting facts about stories, it’s just too bad that most of those stories are about crime, fire or accidents, with little information about what’s going on in local government or other matters that more directly affect people’s lives (other than the weather).
Bruce Morrison says:
February 28, 2017 at 4:53 pm
martelxo92 is right. The media is conducting its business in a less than honorable way in an all out war to try to keep its own agenda at the forefront. They will lose. They are becoming irrelevant. When over 51% don’t trust what the mainstream media says, you have a big problem. And JamesV, you have obviously been indoctrinated by the Socialist/Progressive agenda in school and you are now part of their “useful Minions” helping carry it out. Patriotic Americans like Trump are standing up against the BS you and people like you have been spewing for years. Trump is saving this country and I’m glad that the Liberals are so off kilter they can’t even cloak their lies well anymore.
Ellen Samrock says:
February 28, 2017 at 2:57 pm
The president has made his point about the mainstream media and needs to move on. Many commentators have said that Trump could be another Reagan. For the most part, the MSM hated Reagan too. The difference was that Reagan laughed them off and kept working. Trump needs to follow “The Gipper’s” lead and not the let the press get under his skin.
Wagner Pereira says:
February 28, 2017 at 3:02 pm
Trump is still campaigning. He needs to get out of campaign mode and focus on running the Country.
Gene Johnson says:
February 28, 2017 at 4:12 pm
Campaigning is fun (at least for some); running the country is hard work and not like anything he’s done before. My view is that he wasn’t anywhere near prepared for what it involves.
Debra Rein says:
February 28, 2017 at 4:26 pm
Yeah, he’s never done any hard work before and you think campaigning is fun do you? You sound agenda driven yourself.
My point wasn’t that Trump was honest. Do you do reading comprehension? My point was I agree with him that national news is BS most of the time. It provokes. It creates dissention. It’s not about facts, it is slanted to bring emotion that something is wrong. You probably don’t even realize that and you sit their and watch them and get all up in arms because the party in charge is going to make your baby leave the country or take away elderly health insurance.